Molly Bilinski
Environment & Science reporterI cover environment and science for LehighValleyNews.com. Originally from Schuylkill County, I got my start in journalism writing obituaries for the Reading Eagle in 2014 after graduating from Kutztown University. I’ve also reported for The Press of Atlantic City, covering municipalities, crime and courts, and The Morning Call, where I was part of the audience team. In 2022, I won first place in the diversity category of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s Keystone Media Awards. Contact me at mollyb@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8225.
-
The funding, through the Livable Landscape program, was unanimously approved at the county council’s June 18 meeting. -
The city is the third major city in the Lehigh Valley to become certified through Bird Town Pennsylvania, an annual designation focused on community-based conservation.
-
Newhard Farms Corn Shed opened Tuesday for sweet corn sales. While it opened a few days later than in recent years, there's expected to be a good supply this season.
-
The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.
-
The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
-
The Clean Trucks PA Coalition report identified more than 600 schools, childcare centers, playgrounds and parks near major roadways and trucking corridors across the state.
-
In addition to live music, there will be more than a dozen local vendors, businesses and crafters, as well as trail and outdoor demonstrations, and group walks.
-
The Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program awarded grants to 12 organizations and municipalities this year.
-
Air, environment, health: Environmental advocates decry cuts to federal electric vehicle tax creditsThe federal tax and spending bill, dubbed by President Donald Trump as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” includes eliminating electric vehicle tax credits after this year. Advocates called on senators to put them back.
-
In addition to the Kline’s Island Sewer System, or KISS, regional wastewater plan, committee members advanced the Lehigh Valley Hazard Mitigation Plan to the full commission.
-
Hunters Sharing the Harvest, Pennsylvania’s venison donation program, has since 1991 built a network of deer processors and food pantries across the state, donating nearly 2 million pounds of venison. Deer rifle season begins Saturday.
-
The Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence is open to any commonwealth business, farm, government agency, educational institution or nonprofit organization that has developed or participated in a project that promotes environmental protection and stewardship. Applications are due by Jan. 3.
-
When state officials announced a series of in-person and virtual meetings there were no in-person meetings slated for the Lehigh Valley, even though the region is the third largest metropolitan area in the commonwealth. A meeting in Allentown has been added to the schedule.
-
A decade or so after buying his South Whitehall Township home in the late 1960s, Fred Buse started recording the average temperature, precipitation type and amount, as well as any animal sightings in his backyard to study and track the health of the local environment.
-
While the goal is to transition communities to clean energy while creating jobs, there are still many unknowns about the projects. Even though there are two hubs slated for Pennsylvania, it could be a while before the Lehigh Valley’s residents begin to feel any impacts.
-
First introduced by state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh Valley, in 2015 and approved by the Senate in July, the bill would increase the fine and direct any monies collected towards bald and golden eagle conservation efforts across the commonwealth.
-
City council on Wednesday will consider overriding Mayor Matt Tuerk's veto of council’s approved 2024 no-tax-increase budget, which did not include the position. Advocates still hope to find a way to a hire a sustainability manager.
-
The Lehigh County Authority released the estimate and a schedule of public meetings to review the plan and collect feedback from affected residents. The first meeting is scheduled for 6 tonight in South Whitehall Township.
-
In Northampton County, a problem with recording votes for judicial retention prompted officials to shut down electronic machines Tuesday morning and rely on paper ballots. County Executive Lamont McClure said the vendor and county elections staff should have caught the issue in testing before Election Day.
-
Lafayette College's commercial composting vessel was placed in June. It comes more than a decade after the college first started it's composting program, with the dining hall using fully compostable packaging and cutlery.
-
The first new building on Muhlenberg’s campus in more than a decade, the Fahy Commons for Public Engagement and Innovation, 2400 W. Chew St., has racked up three different sustainability awards and certifications.
-
Lehigh Valley Breathes is a Valley-wide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing. The project is expected to run for a year.
