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Rachel McDevitt, Reporter / StateImpact Pennsylvania

I report on energy and the environment for StateImpact Pennsylvania at WITF.

My work focuses on responses and solutions to climate change in the state legislature and communities around the state. I trace my interest in these issues back to my time as a Girl Scout and this episode of Rocko’s Modern Life.

I look forward to winter just for the chance to ski a few times each season. I try to keep myself from doom-scrolling on my phone by keeping my hands busy knitting and learning to play the piano.

I grew up in Cambria County, Pa. and graduated from Temple University. I started at WITF just after Christmas in 2014.

Latest by Rachel McDevitt


Pa. gas drilling slowed in spring 2024, prices expected to rise this winter

The number of new wells has been falling since the third quarter of 2023.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Methane emissions much higher than gas industry targets, study says

EDF’s images and modeling show the basins could be releasing enough gas to meet the energy needs of more than half of U.S. homes annually.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Updated: September 5, 2024 | 11:12 am

Report calls for tougher lead testing standards for Pa. school districts

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is no safe level of lead in the blood.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Pa. activists try to head off nuclear restart at Three Mile Island

TMI Unit 1 owner Constellation said this summer it would be technically possible to repower the plant, but it does not have concrete plans to restart it.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Pa. promotes state parks for helping addiction recovery

Spending time in nature can be a powerful tool to boost mental and physical health for people in recovery from drug addiction.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Pa. urges insurer flexibility for people affected by remnants of Debby

Debby, as a post-tropical depression, tore through the middle of the state, from the Maryland to the New York border, on Aug. 9.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Stormwater runoff not an issue in solar fields with proper management, study finds

Researchers measured soil moisture at two solar fields near State College that are built on hillsides.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Updated: August 12, 2024 | 3:03 pm

Harrisburg cleanup from Debby could take weeks

Cleanup efforts could continue for weeks as homeowners and businesses take stock of the damage.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Pa. Supreme Court collecting briefs in RGGI case

Coal power industry groups won a lower court decision blocking the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania

Pa. legislators passed a lot of new laws with the budget. Here’s what’s happening with environmental policy.

Here’s a round-up of environmental items that passed in the last month as lawmakers negotiated the state budget.

By Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania
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