
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.
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Around 10 p.m. Sunday, the evening operation was passed off to DCNR State Wildland Crews, the Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Co. said on social media. A planned backburn was underway to stop the spread of a fire burning since Saturday.
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State environmental officials are calling on residents to nominate their favorite waterway to be 2025 River of the Year. The effort aims to elevate public awareness of specific rivers and recognize important conservation needs and achievements.
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Lehigh and Northampton counties are in a drought watch due to persistently dry weather. The Lehigh County Authority is asking residents to start conserving.
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A red flag warning is issued when the risk of fire danger is highest. The warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Friday.
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The U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday showed all of the Lehigh Valley in either “moderate” or “severe” drought.
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PennEnvironment's 2024 “Renewables on the Rise” report ranks every state for the production of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other metrics over the last decade, tracking growth.
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Covering 187 acres in Salisbury and Upper Saucon townships, the sanctuary has seven different trails, and is the conservancy’s ninth nature preserve in the Lehigh Valley.
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The plan, estimated to cost more than $300 million over the next decade, seeks to overhaul and upgrade aging water and wastewater infrastructure across more than a dozen Lehigh County municipalities.
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The Bethlehem Area School District is getting $2 million in federal rebates to buy 10 more electric school buses. Officials expect the buses to be in service next school year.
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Wildlands Conservancy, as well as other partners and stakeholders, on Tuesday marked the completion of restoration work on the Bushkill Creek at Lafayette College with a celebration and wildflower-planting.
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Lehigh Valley went to the polls Tuesday for the Pennsylvania primary election, but voters were hard to find throughout the day. Poll workers and observers reported a trickle of a turnout at districts in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
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Fahy Commons was named the first project in the world to achieve a rigorous sustainability certification for buildings that reward projects for more energy than they use. The 20,000-square-foot, three-floor building cost $13.2 million and opened to students last January.
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“Public Participation, Public Power: A Community Guide to Local Land Use Decision-Making in Pennsylvania" was released Monday. The almost-100-page guide includes explanations of state and local land use laws and more.
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A new outdoor air quality monitoring project is coming to Allentown this summer. The data collected through the initiative, officials said, will help inform decision-making to improve residents’ health in the city, known for its poor air quality.
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This year’s Lehigh Valley Sustainability Summit was held Friday morning at The Club at Twin Lakes. Officials discussed upcoming projects, as well as efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
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The spring migration count at Hawk Mountain has begun. It runs through May 15.
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EPA officials last week announced the first-ever national drinking water standard regulating per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are widespread, long-lasting in the environment and have been linked to long-term health issues.
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First introduced by state Sen. Lisa Boscola in 2015, the bill would increase penalties and direct any money collected toward bald and golden eagle conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.
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From April 20 through April 28, residents are invited to join or host a cleanup along a section of the D&L Trail as part of a trash collection competition. Winners will be announced May 3.
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More than 2,000 acres on 28 farms in 15 counties across the commonwealth were preserved. Here are the Lehigh Valley farms now safe from development.
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More than six months after its launch, 33 air quality monitors have been installed throughout the Lehigh Valley as part of Lehigh Valley Breathes, a regionwide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing.
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Arcadia Development Corporation plans to tear down the SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western at 300 Gateway Drive off Route 512, replacing it with a warehouse. The permit hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 29 at Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem.