Dear Friends of PSR Philadelphia,
We thank you for your long standing and dedicated support !
"Electric Buses -- Clean Transportation for Healthier Neighborhoods and Cleaner Air"
This Thursday, PennEnvironment held a press conference to announce the publication of a new report, "Electric Buses -- Clean Transportation for Healthier Neighborhoods and Cleaner Air", highlighting the very specific and deleterious health risks associated with diesel pollution, especially for children in Philadelphia. The report drew inspiration from other major cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, who have all committed to a cleaner electric bus fleet. It also touched upon the fiscal and health advantages of this option, and offered solutions to expedite this inevitable transition. Click here to read more.
In solitude with these findings, PSR's Dr. Walter Tsou spoke at the press conference on Thursday
At the press conference held on Thursday, May 8th, many allies of PennEnvironment including PSR, 350 Philly, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Moms Clean Air Force and Parents United, gathered in unison to urge Philadelphia to accelerate this necessary transition to electric buses . On average, 22,256 tons of greenhouse gas that would be averted per year by SEPTA converting to fully electric buses, which would result in better air quality for ourselves and our children. Dr. Walter Tsou spoke against the Nicetown gas plant, called for SEPTA to transition to renewable energy, and encouraged people to come out to the hearing on June 12.

At the press conference, two asks were outlined for local and state officials:
(1) To allocate funds Pennsylvania’s settlement with Volkswagen to subsidize the purchase of electric buses and the construction of charging infrastructure for those buses
(2) Push for SEPTA and the School District to transition to electric buses as quickly as possible

To find out more, click here to watch a recording of the event, here to read a new article published in the Metro , and here for the full report.
Upcoming Events
1) Webinar - Defining Renewable Energy: How Polluters and Wall Street Are Trying to Hijack the Renewable Energy Movement
Event Date: Thursday, May 10, 8:00 PM EDT
Food & Water Action will be joined by speakers from Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility and NC WARN to present a webinar on how states define renewable energy and some of the dirty technologies that big polluters and wall street are attempting to slip into those definitions.
RSVP for webinar here: https://fwaction.us/2r0Feo7
2) Where Plastic Ends Up - An International Perspective on Plastics
Event Date: Tuesday, May 22, 7:00 - 8:45 PM EDT
Location : 500 Thorn St. Sewickley PA 15143
RSVP for this date here!
Event Date: Wednesday, May 23, 5:00 - 8:30 PM EDT
Location: 1435 Bedford Avenue, Pittsburgh 15219
RSVP for this date here !

Attend these two special opportunities to hear about what happens to the plastics we manufacture and throw away. The tour includes speakers from Manilla, India, and the Philippines!
The International Plastics Delegation Tour was organized by Earthworks . To find out more, contact: info@breatheproject.org
 3) No Mariner East! Rally for Community Safety
Event D ate: Saturday, June 2, 3:00 PM EDT
Location: Chester County Courthouse, 2 N. High Street, West Chester, PA
The Mariner East pipeline is a huge risk. Why?
  • Sunoco, the company funding the pipeline, has the worst safety record of any in the country
  • 40 schools, within the blast zone of the pipeline, are now at high risk
  • The plastic it helps create ends up in our oceans
  • The ethane to fill it will come from fracking in Western Pennsylvania
This pipeline will damage not only our community and our ecosystem, but our families and ourselves as well.

For over a year, Governor Tom Wolf has woken up each day with the ability to stop construction of this pipeline. Attend this rally, and join the communities near the pipeline demanding their own safety, and others demanding safety for our bodies and our planet. Learn more/RSVP here .
Current News
PSR Blogs
(Check out all our blogs here!)
Pennsylvania joins California's lawsuit over Trump's plan to rollback emission standards: The lawsuit takes aim at the EPA's plan to revise emissions standards for vehicles manufactured between 2022 and 2025. Those standards would have translated to vehicles getting 36 miles of real-world driving per gallon by 2025, about 10 miles over the existing standard. Read more here .
Energy Days conference to build partnerships, solve critical energy challenges: The third annual Energy Days conference will be held this year on May 30 and 31 at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Registration is open now .This interdisciplinary event will bring together leaders from across the energy spectrum, including members of industry, government, non-profits and academia. Read more here .
Our Electric Vehicle Gap: Philly lags behind other cities in putting city-owned electric cars on the street. Might SEPTA, of all places, be the model for how to turn that around? Find out more about this issue and what you can do here .
Babies are Being Born Pre-Polluted: A recent report, Saving Energy, Saving Lives , discusses the relationship between air pollution and premature death and proposes a solution relating to reduction in annual electric consumption. Click here to read Dr. Ned Ketyer's response to this report. 
Pennsylvania Oil, Methane, and Gas Emissions: A recent report released by the EDF estimates that emissions in Pennsylvania are five times higher than previously estimated. Click here to read Coryn Wolk's blog response to this study and what this means for our state's future.