Third Act PA

10/11/2026

"Boulder is asking who should pay for the damage: families and taxpayers alone, or the companies responsible," said Zaire Calvin, a lifelong Altadenan who lost both his home and his sister, Evelyn McClendon, in the Eaton Fire.

"I understand the human weight behind that question."

For decades, Big Oil companies have knowingly fueled catastrophic climate damages while deceiving the public about the dangers of fossil fuels. Communities deserve their day in court to hold these lying companies accountable.

10/11/2026

Breaking (mostly) good news: Gas cars are now a minority of the world’s new car sales.

Electrek reports: Gasoline-only vehicles made up 49% of global new-vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, down from 73% in 2021, according to Mobility Global data first reported by Nikkei.
It’s the first time on record that they’ve been under half. But there’s a catch: most of the cars taking their place still have a gas tank.

The EV numbers by region show where the growth is. Mobility Global has battery-electric sales up 32% in Europe to 1.81 million, up 81% in Southeast Asia to 350,000, and more than doubling in Oceania to 110,000. China was down 3% at 3.44 million, which is still half of the world’s total. North America was down 15%.

[A link to the article is in the comments.]

10/09/2026

Is he gonna shoot people on live tv for violating this, too?

“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” -- 1984, by George Orwell

10/09/2026

For our October newsletter, we have an ELECTION SPECIAL, full of actions that YOU can take on behalf of our endorsed candidates and to ensure that every vote counts.

No one can do everything. Everyone can do 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜.

Here's the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15mM-SKzyRTaTvyXXCkcQCJ71yrYSk4vK/view

10/06/2026

We can count on similar violations from data centers.

Via Allegheny Front: Environmental groups said the latest fine was insignificant for a company of Shell’s size, which recorded a $9.8 billion quarterly profit in June, its second highest ever, thanks largely to high gasoline prices caused by the Iran War.
“No amount of money can undo harm to someone’s health, and for a company of this size, accountability has to mean more than writing a check,” said Hilary Flint, of the Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community. “This agreement exists because Beaver County residents spent years paying attention, documenting problems, reporting what the

Note: Shell received a $1.65 billion tax credit, the largest in state history, to build the plant, which will turn natural gas into plastic.
In 2023, the state fined the company $10 million for air quality violations related to its startup.

10/06/2026

“This study from PSE Healthy Energy makes clear that transitioning to fully electric kitchens can help protect the health of the people who work in them every day. We need policies, incentives, and other support that make electrification accessible to the industry.” -- Panama Bartholomy, executive director at the nonprofit Building Decarbonization Coalition

[link in the comments]

10/05/2026

So you're telling us there's a chance?
Here's one take on the SCOTUS hearing today about whether local governments can sue fossil fuel companies for damages from climate change.

"Of those justices hearing the first case of the new term, several appeared outwardly skeptical of whether the case was properly before the justices and a majority appeared uninterested in the most broad constitutional argument the companies put forth against allowing the litigation." -- Chris Geidner

With Justice Alito recused, eight justices questioned if they should be hearing the case and pushed back on Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil’s broad constitutional arguments.

10/04/2026

“You are the antidote. Out there in a world of cruelty, and bullying, and bu****it, there’s also this magnificent antidote.” -- Joan Baez, at the Power to the People Concert in Maryland yesterday.

She sang Woody Guthrie's "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)," about the 1948 plane crash that killed 28 migrant workers being sent back to Mexico. News coverage identified only the four members of the flight crew. The rest were merely "deportees."

(YouTube headline is wrong: Woody Guthrie, not Arlo. And no apostrophe in Deportees. 🤦‍♀️)

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10/02/2026

“The science is clear: pollution is bad for our health, makes severe weather worse, threatens farmers’ crops, and hurts our environment.” -- Gov. Josh Shapiro on former twitter

👉Note that our GOP AG Dave Sunday, who would ordinarily sue on behalf of PA's residents, did not file this suit, so Shapiro did. The governor has filed other suits against the EPA, including over this regime's repeal of the "endangerment finding." That finding determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and welfare and was the basis for many climate protections.

Via Keystone Newsroom: States and cities sued the Trump administration Thursday for repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas.
Twenty-one states, led by New York, are challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant rule. The Democratic-led coalition also includes Pennsylvania’s governor, the District of Columbia, New York City, Chicago and the city and county of Denver.
They argue that “gutting one of the country’s most significant climate protections” will set the nation back decades and worsen the climate crisis...The coalition includes the states of New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

[A link is in the comments.]

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10/01/2026

Find out about community solar from our friends at Philadelphia Community Solar Power Project:
📅 Saturday, Oct. 3
⏰ 10 a.m.- noon
💻 Virtual workshop (FREE!)
🔗 Register at the link below

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