Destroying Open Space Threatens the Environmental and Public Health 1. Sprawl threatens the quality of our state's waterways. Replacing open spaces with highways and parking lots interrupts the natural water cycle and produces excessive run-off which contaminates our rivers, lakes and streams, including critical drinking water sources. Sprawl destroys habitat for threatened and endangered species. Pennsylvania is home to 16 species listed as threatened or endangered by the federal Endangered Species Act and over 1000 considered at risk by the state.
Sprawl degrades air quality through increased driving.
Automobiles are significant sources of global warming and smog-forming pollution. Pennsylvania was ranked fourth worst in the nation for violations of health based smog standards last year, and an estimated 5000 Pennsylvanians died prematurely because of poor air quality. State Law Does Not Adequately Address Open Space Destruction Laws governing land use are slanted towards powerful development interests. State funding for public ownership and preservation of precious open spaces is inadequate. Unfortunately, much of this money was taken from existing environmental programs.