The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) held a public meeting Monday to inform county residents on the updates made to the “SmartMoves For A Changing Region” Long Term Plan for infrastructure and what projects are occurring through 2026.

Domenic D’Andrea is the Transportation Planning Director and he states that $660 million worth of projects have been identified to be improved through 2050 with another $1.3 billion worth of projects identified as line items that will allow quick action if necessary.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — Residents in Washington County are getting a look at the long-term vision for their communities.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission wants to invest in hundreds of transportation and infrastructure projects over the next 25 years.

Long term, the price tag is more than $10 billion.

Monday afternoon in a town hall forum, plans were laid out to the Washington County community to get input that will eventually be included in the final plan.

Residents in Washington County will have an opportunity next week to learn more about long-range transportation and infrastructure plans that will impact generations to come, whether it’s building new roads and bridges or installing high-speed broadband internet.

The Southwest Pennsylvania Commission is holding a two-hour town hall meeting at 3 p.m. Monday in the first-floor gathering room of the county’s Courthouse Square office building in Washington that will include a discussion of the region’s 25-year plan, along with a question-and-answer session with the public.

The meetings are being held this spring across the SPC’s 10-county region, and the discussion here will focus solely on Washington County and seek input from local residents.

As part of the region’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) that the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) manages, the organization is hosting a public meeting for Beaver County residents on Thursday, May 11, so they can provide their opinions on local, long-term transportation and infrastructure challenges.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission is the region’s designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and works closely with the ten counties, including Beaver County, located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. In June 2019, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission adopted the region’s official long-range transportation plan called SmartMoves for a Changing Region, which included over $35 billion for the region’s transportation priorities over 25 years. As part of the organization’s efforts to periodically update the plan, it hosts meetings for the public to learn about our region’s long-term transportation and infrastructure challenges and provide their opinions on these issues.

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary Rich Negrin joined Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 Administrator Adam Ortiz, PENNVEST Chairman Dr. Brian Regli, and local government partners last week to highlight the partnership between federal, state, and local governments to fight climate change.

Pennsylvania recently opted into the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The program provides grants to state and local government entities to develop climate action plans and makes them eligible for grants from the $4.6 billion pool established by the IRA and administered by the EPA.

Residents of Beaver County will be able to have their voices heard this week as one local commission opens the comment period for infrastructure projects in the area.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) has announced that they will hold a virtual meeting for county residents to have their comments heard on local transportation and infrastructure improvement projects at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Residents can access the meeting at https://www.spcregion.org/events/public-participation-panel-beaver-county/ during the scheduled time to offer their feedback.

Just ahead of Earth Day, state officials said Pennsylvania will use federal money to tackle climate change.

The Climate Reduction Pollution Grants will help county and municipal officials reach emissions reduction goals set for 2030 and beyond, the Department of Environmental Protection said.

“All climate change is local,” said Rich Negrin, the department’s acting secretary. “It is an all of the above problem and needs an all of the above solution, and it is so important to have strong partners at the federal and local level all committing to fight climate change alongside us.”

Up to a million dollars in federal funding will be coming to the Lehigh Valley to help develop a plan to fight climate change.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently announced the grant awards, which are part of the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, along with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, will each receive grants of up to $1 million to help develop climate action plans.

Just ahead of Earth Day, state officials said Pennsylvania will use federal money to tackle climate change.

The Climate Reduction Pollution Grants will help county and municipal officials reach emissions reduction goals set for 2030 and beyond, the Department of Environmental Protection said.

“All climate change is local,” said Rich Negrin, the department’s acting secretary. “It is an all of the above problem and needs an all of the above solution, and it is so important to have strong partners at the federal and local level all committing to fight climate change alongside us.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered remarks Tuesday at the Pittsburgh Aviation and Robotics Summit, where he reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to stimulating innovation and economic development in Pennsylvania.

Speaking at The Vision on Fifteenth in the Strip District, Mr. Shapiro pointed to industries such as robotics and artificial intelligence as drivers of growth within the region and commonwealth, and highlighted multiple initiatives to target economic redevelopment his administration has already enacted since his taking office.