Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC
FNREL Mineral and Energy Law Newsletter
Pennsylvania – Mining
(by Joe Reinhart, Sean McGovern, Gina Buchman, and Christina Puhnaty)
On June 2, 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) announced in its Environmental Justice Newsletter that its screening and mapping tool, PennEnviroScreen, is now fully integrated within PADEP permitting processes. The tool analyzes more than 30 environmental, health, and socioeconomic criteria to identify environmental justice communities, including location of pollution sources, air quality data, and poverty.
PADEP staff utilize the tool during the permit review process to determine where greater community engagement may be necessary. PADEP has also created a user guide for the public to assist use and understanding of the tool. See PADEP, “PennEnviroScreen At A Glance” (Sept. 2024). In September 2023, PADEP published its PennEnviroScreen Methodology Documentation to explain its rationale for the use of the tool to implement PADEP’s Environmental Justice Policy. PADEP intends to update the data source information used in PennEnviroScreen on an annual basis.
Copyright © 2025, The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Westminster, Colorado
