PA exits RGGI, 10-cent bag fees, Birds supporting Birds & more

Catch up on the latest sustainability news:

Pa. budget deal officially kills key greenhouse gas program. Pennsylvania lawmakers approved a $50.1B state budget that officially withdraws the Commonwealth from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state program designed to curb carbon emissions. Gov. Josh Shapiro agreed to scrap the state’s entry into RGGI as part of the budget negotiations- a move environmental advocates called a “day of climate infamy.” RGGI has generated tens of millions in clean energy revenue for neighboring states and was initially entered under former Gov. Tom Wolf. The Inquirer

City Council approves 10-cent paper bag fee. At the end of October, City Council voted to pass legislation that would require retail establishments to charge a 10-cent fee on all paper bags. Producing paper bags takes four times more energy than single-use plastic bags, which are banned in the city. The bill is meant to be an extension to the plastic bag ban; it now sits on Mayor Cherelle Parker’s desk to be signed. Chestnut Hill Local

Philadelphia Eagles partner to support marine life. The Eagles have teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Shearwater Tagging Project. Called the “Birds Supporting Birds” initiative, the project will track great shearwater birds – which are indicators of ecosystem health and climate impacts – off the coast of Massachusetts. 

Love Your Park Fall Weekend is this upcoming weekend. From November 14-16, Philadelphia Parks & Rec, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Park Friends Network are hosting their annual Love Your Park Fall Weekend. Help clean up and prepare parks for the winter around the city by signing up here. 

City Council visits Chester incinerator before trash hearing. Councilmember Jamie Gauthier led a visit to Chester before next week’s hearing on her bill called the “Stop Trashing Our Air Act.” Gauthier arranged the tour so that fellow council members to witness firsthand and to hear from the city’s mayor on the negative impacts of Chester’s trash incinerator. Gauthier’s bill proposes that Philadelphia stop sending any trash to the incinerator. WHYY

MLK Drive closed for weekend recreational use through Thanksgiving. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will be closed to motor vehicles on the weekends through the end of November. The city is instead extending the seasonal recreational use of the drive for runners, cyclists, and walkers. 

Cover photo: MLK Drive