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Thanks be to you
On Saturday, June 30, the day after the most recent edition of Daze, the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved the 2012-13 fiscal year budget and a slew of other bills. PennFuture thanks the following individuals and organizations for their work on key legislation:

• House Majority Appropriations Chair Bill Adolph, R-Delaware, who led the fight to restore funding for three programs that Gov. Corbett wanted to terminate: The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, Pennsylvania's nationally recognized farmland preservation program, and the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) program;
• Reps. Kate Harper, R-Montgomery, Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, and a flock of legislators from both parties and both chambers who fought hard to restore Keystone funding;
• The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association and Executive Director Andy Loza for their effective work on behalf of the Keystone Fund;
• The alternative fuels businesses and organizations that joined with PennFuture to save funding for the AFIG program;
• Sen. Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster, Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Northampton, and Preservation Pennsylvania, for their hard work to get the General Assembly to finally enact a historic preservation tax credit that can help revitalize our older communities;
• Members of the House Republican Caucus who had the courage and good sense to stand up to their leadership in opposition to House Bill 1659, which would severely limit or even eliminate the ability of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to review permits;
• Rep. Chris Ross for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Solar Jobs Bill; and,
• Last on the list, but first in our hearts, all the citizens who responded to our action alerts and contacted or visited their legislators. None of our successes would have been possible without our supporters across the state.

Obey environmental laws ... there's a watchdog on the case
PennFuture filed suit in federal court this week against the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and the City of Pittsburgh for their failure to enforce the city's stormwater management ordinance against the Buncher Company, developer of an important Strip District construction project. The suit charges that those responsible for enforcing Pittsburgh's stormwater management ordinance have failed in their responsibilities to protect the environment, and public health and safety.

Honoring a Pennsylvania conservation giant
On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission will honor one of the heroes of the conservation movement by unveiling a state historical marker in tribute to Ralph W. Abele. Abele served as executive director of the Commission from 1972 to 1987. He worked tirelessly and courageously on behalf of clean water, pollution reduction, and restoration of healthy fisheries including the American shad. Abele's "Resource First" philosophy influenced a generation of conservation leaders and resource managers.

A rock star lineup for our annual Clean Energy Conference
The PennFuture 2012 Clean Energy Conference, slated for September 13-14 in Philadelphia, boasts an impressive agenda of experts, all focused on using and expanding market opportunities for renewables, energy efficiency, and alternative fuels.

Just this past week, we confirmed the following featured speakers:

• Richard Kauffman — senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Kauffman helps bring the finance and investor perspective to DOE thanks to his years of private sector leadership. He is the former CEO of Good Energies Inc., a leading clean tech investor, and chaired global finance and banking units at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, respectively. Kaufmann's specific mandate at DOE is to support game-changing technologies in the clean energy sector that will lead to jobs now, and keep the U.S. competitive in renewables in a global economy.
• Lee Davis — senior vice president and northeast regional president of NRG Energy, one of the most forward-thinking electric utilities in the U.S. Davis is leading the effort to re-power the company's Northeast fleet, reduce emissions from fossil fuel plants, and re-focus company efforts toward clean energy sources. He also oversees new business development for the six-state region.
• Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, whose leadership led to unprecedented gains for clean energy in the Commonwealth and whose advocacy and activism continue in the private sector.

Register now to hear these and other influential leaders while you can still get the discount for early registration.

Will Big Mouth Billy Bass be the only bass left in the Susquehanna?
Find out the answer at our next event, co-sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation: Bass, Baseball, and Ice Cream — a serious discussion on the plight of our rivers and fish, with non-serious ice cream, sodas, and snacks.

Join us on Tuesday, July 24 at 5:30 at the Riverside Pavilion on Harrisburg's City Island on our endangered Susquehanna to hear about the problems caused for our rivers and fish from our changed climate, and what you can do about it. Experts include:

• Andy Shiels, Deputy Director for Field Operations, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission;
• George Jugovic Jr., President/CEO, PennFuture;
• Rev. Sandy Strauss, Director of Advocacy, Pennsylvania Council of Churches; and
• Ed Perry, Outreach Coordinator, National Wildlife Federation.

After the ice cream and speeches, continue the evening with our speakers and organizers at the 7 p.m. Harrisburg Senators' baseball game against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

This event is free (although we will always gratefully — and happily — accept donations to help fund our work to protect our rivers and fish). Register now so we have enough ice cream. Be one of the first 10 people to reserve your spot at the event and get a free ticket to the game.

PennFuture's Session Daze is designed to be a brief, informative and occasionally humorous look at
public policy in Pennsylvania. Please visit our website for more information about PennFuture.

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