State of Pennsylvania secondary Archives: on Environment

Brendan Boyle: Member of the "Green Dog" Caucus of environmentalists

Dwight Evans: Government should promote locally raised food

• Farm-to-school programs--involving students in gardening & serving local foods in school lunchrooms.
• Local food procurement for schools, hospitals, jails, and other institutions. The federal government can incentivize local procurement by such anchor institutions.
• Urban agriculture-We can ensure that zoning and other barriers to urban agriculture are erased to benefit existing and would-be farmers within city limits. To accomplish this, the City should spend money each year acquiring properties for conversion into community gardens.
• Farmers Markets--identifying "food deserts" and working with local leaders and farmers to establish farmers markets in these locations.
• Neighborhood Gardens--We can identify vacant lots or those with derelict properties that can be converted to neighborhood gardens.

Dwight Evans: More urban trees; more urban parks

• Expand city park accessibility. Strategically put new parks where the people are, using GIS mapping technology and a "six-block criterion," so all residents live within six blocks of a park (or approximately 1/3 mile).
• Create a parklet program: create seasonal patio-like little parks out of two existing parking spaces in commercial areas during the Spring and summer months.
• Plant more trees. Pennsylvania's TreeVitalize Program is a model for a concentrated tree planting effort, working with communities to plant over 350,000 trees in 14 metropolitan areas.

Ken Krawchuk: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach

A: Support. There is no constitutional authority for the EPA (or many other federal agencies) to enter the states.

Joe Schiavoni: $100M to address water quality with sewer improvements

If Ohio voters approve this resolution, the General Assembly would be able to authorize up to $100 million per fiscal year over a 10-year period for sewer and water capital improvements, for a total investment of $1 billion. This plan would not raise taxes.

"Ohio's underground infrastructure is deteriorating rapidly," said Leader Schiavoni. "Current funding sources cannot keep up with the rising costs of critical infrastructure maintenance and upgrades.."

Josh Shapiro: Fought rolling back critical environmental protections

Katie McGinty: Chaired Pres. Clinton's Council on Environmental Quality

"I strongly endorse Katie McGinty for governor," Gore said in a statement released by McGinty's campaign. "She shares my belief that we can build a better country and improve the lives of hard-working families. Katie has always viewed environmental challenges as economic opportunities. She knows how to create jobs--while protecting the environment. And she has the intellect, leadership skills, and optimistic, can-do attitude to build a better and more prosperous Pennsylvania."

Aside from a five-year stint atop the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, McGinty's political resume draws largely from her work with Gore and in the White House.

Tom Corbett: PA rivers are precious for generating many jobs

Tom Corbett: End the inheritance tax on family farm land

That is why we worked together last year to end the inheritance tax on family farm land. The value of land for housing and commercial centers is very high. The value of the tradition and contribution of agriculture on that same land is beyond calculation. No farming family should have to bury their father or mother and their way of life at the same time. Nor should we lose our farm land to uncontrolled development. That is why my budget contains more than $35 million dollars to fund the nation's best farmland preservation program.