With electricity costs soaring and the public pushing for more ‘‘green’‘ energy, the tiny Carbon County borough of Weatherly has dusted off an idea from the environmental movement of the 1970s: Put a hydroelectric plant on the Lehigh River at the massive Francis E. Walter Dam.

The borough, which first looked at a hydro plant more than 30 years ago, has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a preliminary permit to study building two generating units that could produce up to 26 gigawatt-hours a year, Borough Manager Harold Pudliner said. That’s more than 1,000 times the 21 megawatt-hours a year used by Weatherly’s 2,621 residents.  read more »

The American Lung Association today dealt Pittsburgh a black eye.

The city topped the group’s annual ranking of metropolitan areas with the worst short-term fine particle pollution — the first time in its nine years that the “State of the Air” report has given a city outside California the dubious title.

Environmental officials say it’s undeserved because the association bases its ranking on one air quality monitor. Pittsburgh’s ranking is based on a monitor in Liberty, a small Mon Valley town about 16 miles from the Golden Triangle.  read more »

In a change of pace from the last article, here’s a classic instance of bureaucracy over business.

The state House is taking a step toward trying to deal with a looming leap in electricity bills in the coming years.

The chamber voted Tuesday 152-45 to require utilities to develop plans to cut electricity use and install ‘‘smart meters’‘ in all homes and businesses within a decade.