Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future
Encyclopedia
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| Established | 1998 |
| Exec. Dir. | Rev. K. Joy Kauffman |
| President | Ms. Jan Jarrett |
| Headquarters | Harrisburg, PA Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... , |
| Homepage | http://pennfuture.org |
Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture) is a nonprofit advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Pennfuture was founded in 1998, with the mission to work to "create a just future where nature, communities and the economy thrive. We enforce environmental laws and advocate for the transformation of public policy, public opinion and the marketplace to restore and protect the environment and safeguard public health. PennFuture advances effective solutions for the problems of pollution, sprawl and global warming; mobilizes citizens; crafts compelling communications; and provides excellent legal services and policy analysis."In February 2008, Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future announced that Teresa Heinz, Chair of The Heinz Endowments, Rebecca Rimel, President of The Pew Charitable Trusts
The Pew Charitable Trusts
The Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization , founded in 1948. With over US$5 billion in assets, its current mission is to serve the public interest by "improving public policy, informing the public, and stimulating civic life."-History:The Trusts, a single...
, and Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
winner Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
would speak at the organization's 10th Anniversary Gala in Philadelphia.
Issue stances
Some of the policies endorsed by Pennfuture include clean energy, air quality, and water qualityWater quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
, and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. According to Pennfuture, "air pollution is shortening lives, contaminating fish, killing streams and forests, and inexorably warming the global climate. Watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s are thoughtlessly being undermined and paved over, and good water quality is becoming a rare commodity. Thousands of acres of land are defiled by past coal mining, and communities, streams, and families still suffer from destructive mining techniques."
To achieve success in their mission, the organization is "working to replace old outdated dirty sources of power with clean renewable Pennsylvania-made electricity, fighting factory farm pollution, helping to stop damage from mining, protecting watersheds from sprawl and pollution, reducing global warming pollution, watchdogging state government, and providing $2 million per year of free legal services to protect the environment."
Press
- 22 January 2009 PennFuture offers opportunity for citizen input on global warming plan - Ideas to be shared with Pennsylvania’s Climate Change Advisory Committee
- 19 August 2008 Jan Jarrett named PennFuture president and CEO as John Hanger becomes Pennsylvania DEP Secretary
- 12 February 2008 PennFuture praises state House for moving Pennsylvania into national leadership with passage of energy savings bill
- 8 February 2008 PennFuture Lauds Court Decision Striking Down Federal Mercury Rule
- 18 June 2007 New Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Energy Independence
- 22 May 2007 PennFuture, Environmental Integrity Project Launch Legal Action to Stop Massive Air Pollution from Bruce Mansfield Power Plant
- 1 February 2007 PennFuture Files Endangered Species Act Petition Against Bush Administration