PennEnvironment and the PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center were created in 2002 as state affiliates of Environment America and the Environment America Research and Policy Center. The organizations have developed state-specific environmentalist affiliates in 29 states. 1
Funding
In 2019, PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center received $901,330 in grants and contributions, as well as $28,507 in investment income. 2 The organization reported $929,837 in total revenue,3 $940,224 in expenses,4 and $1,029,355 in net assets. 5
In 2019, PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center received funding from multiple left-of-center, environmentalist grantmaking organizations. PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center received $62,500 from the Energy Foundation,6 $27,500 from the New Jersey Research and Policy Center,7 and $10,867 from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds. 8
Research on Microplastics
In 2021, PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center tested 53 waterways across Pennsylvania for microplastics. The study found that all 53 sampled waterways have some amount of microplastics present in the water. 9 PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center has used this information to advocate for a federal ban on plastic products, supporting left-of-center legislation like the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act. 10 The bill would halt the production of new plastic facilities in the United States and place a blanket ban on the sale of many single-use plastic products, such as bottled water. 11
Leadership
David Masur is the executive director of PennEnvironment. Masur also oversees the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG) and other organizations within the Public Interest Network that are active in Pennsylvania. Masur worked as an environmental advisor on Gov. Wolf and Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney (D)’s transition teams. 12
The grant will work to improve regulatory enforcement and compliance of industrial facilities in Allegheny County, and advance community advocacy to publicize the worst climate polluters in the Pittsburgh region. The grant supports the Climate, Environment and Health initiative's Healthy Air Quality and Climate-Friendly Region strategies. The grant advances these strategies by continuing to pressure current and future Allegheny County leaders, as well as the Allegheny County Health Department, to rein in top industrial polluters with stronger enforcement, regulations that protect public health, and more stringent permits that ratchet down allowable pollution.
This grant will support PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center to work with partner organizations to create a Common Agenda of policy solutions that can make Allegheny County a cleaner and healthier place to live and work. This common agenda will be developed and released in the lead up to the primary election for County Executive and County Council candidates in May 2023. Given the broad powers of the office of County Executive, and the potential for the next County Executive to be in office for 12 years, it is critical that all candidates for the position have a strong understanding of the issues impacting public health, our environment, and our democracy as well as the policy solutions that advocates, experts, and local residents in our region support. This grant supports the Democracy & Civic Participation initiative strategy for Issue-Based Education as well as the Climate, Environment & Health strategy for a Climate-Friendly Region. PennEnvironment will use this Common Agenda to educate and engage all candidates for County Executive, as well as candidates for the 10 County Council seats and five Pittsburgh City Council seats that will be up for re-election. They will also use the Common Agenda to get these issues in front of tens of thousands of local residents, build their investment in the concepts, and get them engaged in calling for policy solutions. The process will bring together major environmental coalitions, for example, the Breathe Project, which leads the Breathe Collaborative, Women for a Healthy Environment, which leads Get the Lead Out Pittsburgh and Lead Safe Allegheny, and others to ensure that a diverse array of voices and perspectives are represented.
