This is one of a series of articles celebrating the 50th anniversary of the PA Environmental Council and the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day--

Over the years PEC has worked with countless leaders, experts, and citizens to advance environmental goals across the state. In celebration of PEC’s fiftieth anniversary, we asked a few of them to share their reflections on our shared work, how far Pennsylvania has come, and where we go from here.

Best known as the author of Pennsylvania’s historic Environmental Rights Amendment, Franklin Kury served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1969 to 1972 and in the Senate from 1973 until 1980, when he joined the PEC Board of Directors.

One of PEC’s longest-serving directors, Mr. Kury retired from the board in 2000.

From 1965 to about 1972, Pennsylvania went through an environmental revolution.

The people of Pennsylvania woke up to the fact that they’d been badly exploited by the coal industry, the steel industry, and the railroad industry.

And they were determined.

They saw too many acres of land being struck by surface mining and slag piles.

In those few years, the legislature passed more bills on the environment than in all the history of Pennsylvania before or since.

In fact, when I was elected to the House in 1966, my picture was in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, suggesting that I was the new wave of environmental legislators.

I was the first one to go hard on an environmental issue, and I defeated the senior Republican in the House of Representatives.

In the legislature, I was a strong proponent of environmental issues. I was the author and lead advocate of the bill that became Article 1, Section 27, otherwise known the Environmental Rights Amendment.

At that time PEC had just been founded and the amendment was just a year away from going public. But we got it through the legislature with the help of Curt Winsor, who was the first leader of PEC.

PEC and I worked together. Curt was very strongly in favor of the amendment. He and PEC, along with a few other organizations, really helped the public understand why this should be passed. Curt was one of the leaders in that effort.

When we went to the ballot in 1971, the amendment passed the public referendum by a margin of four-to-one.

Since its beginning, PEC has been very aggressive in supporting environmental legislation and helping the public to understand environmental issues.

Their role of educating the public and advocating for environmental legislation has had a positive impact on Pennsylvania. It also got the business community involved, which has been terrific.

PEC did a good job of getting people together to talk things over and build consensus on what we needed to do to protect the environment.

PEC was different than other environmental advocates in the way they got industry and people involved, more than just pure environmentalists.

They brought a more balanced approach.

PEC understands that we have to protect the environment and secure that protection, or we, as a society, are going to lose where we live and how to live it.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Environmental Council website, visit the PEC Blog, PEC Bill/Regulation Tracker, follow PEC on Twitter or Like PEC on Facebook.  Visit PEC’s Audio Room for the latest podcasts.  Click Here to receive regular updates from PEC.

(Reprinted from the PA Environmental Council website.)

Earth Day 50 PA

Visit the Earth Day 50 PA website for more special events, Earth Day 1970 remembrances, environmental reading lists and more.

Related Articles - Remembering  Earth Day 1970:

Earth Day 50 PA: Edwin Charles: The Earth Day Teach-In Must Continue

Earth Day 50 PA: Marci Mowery: A Sense Of Place In This World

Earth Day 50 PA: Richard Lewis: What I Did On The First Earth Day 50 Years Ago

Earth Day 50 PA: Wayne Kober: Impact & Inspiration From First Earth Day

Earth Day 50 PA: Earth Day At 50: Progression, Emergence, Park & Rec Involvement

PA Environmental Council At 50: We Had To Do Something

PA Environmental Council At 50: Taking The Lead

PA Environmental Council At 50: A New Millennium

Related Articles- Earth Day:

Op-Ed: My Fellow Conservatives Are Out Of Touch On The Environment - Fmr. Gov. Tom Ridge

Op-Ed: 50th Earth Day: Time To Consider Wiser Course - We Are All Of This Earth And Dependent On It - Bernie McGurl, Lackawanna River Conservation Association

Op-Ed: Earth Day 1970 Changed My Life - Carol Collier, The Academy Of Natural Sciences

Op-Ed: Earth Day 50: A Wakeup Call To The Scientific Community - Science Matters -Roland Wall, Director, Ruth Patrick Center For Environmental Research

Op-Ed: Earth Day - 50 Years And Counting - Joanne Shafer, Centre County Recycling Coordinator

Earth Day 2020 – Bringing Pennsylvanians Together Even Though We’re Apart

DEP’s Blog: Earth Day 50 PA: DEP Staff Reflections

DEP’s Blog: By Acting On Climate, We Help Make Every Day Earth Day - DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell

DEP’s Blog: Peregrine Falcons Soar In PA As Earth Day Celebrates 50 Years

DCNR Good Natured Blog: Looking Toward Earth Day 2070 - DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn

DCNR Good Natured Blog: Earth Day At Home

PA Parks & Forests Foundation Posts Special Earth Day 50 PA Newsletter

PA Forestry Assn: Special Earth Day Edition Of Pennsylvania Forests Quarterly

Shippensburg University Hosted Virtual Campus Climate Commitment Signing Event

Pittsburgh Organizations Going 100% Renewable Energy On Earth Day's 50th Anniversary

Western PA Conservancy: Honoring Earth Day By Preserving An Historic Farm In Westmoreland County

Pocono Arts Council Announces Online The Earth Speaks VI - A Juried Exhibition On The Environmental Crisis

Fmr EPA Officials Release Special Environmental Protection - A Half Century Of Progress Reports For Students, Teachers 

[Posted: April 25, 2020

4/27/2020