ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- An initiative to conserve a million acres of salt marsh from Northeast Florida to North Carolina is in motion, following approval Tuesday from the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS).

A coalition of groups representing anglers, hunters, birders, boaters, local officials and conservationists pushed for the plan along with The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Cameron Jaggard, outreach coordinator for Pew's Conserving Marine Life in the U.S. project, noted protecting coastlines from flooding, erosion, and storm surge, and preserving habitats are all part of the bigger picture of the conservation plan.

"Salt marsh provides shelter, food and nursery grounds for more than 75% of commercial recreational fish species in the country," Jaggard explained. "And that includes blue crab, redfish and flounder, as well as valuable waterfowl, and imperiled bird species, including black duck and Eastern black rail."

NOAA estimates 80,000 acres of wetlands are lost every year from development and rising sea levels. Jaggard confirmed the plan's development will begin immediately, with a draft conservation plan expected for 2022.

Meg Palmsten, research oceanographer for the U.S. Geological Survey and chair of the SERPPAS Coastal Resilience and Regional Adaptation Working Group, hopes to dive deeper for solutions to coastal hazards.

"Something I'm most interested in dissipating wave energy, and providing space for storm surge to reside when there's a storm that's pushing water up into our estuaries," Palmsten remarked. "And so it's a natural place to sort of act as a buffer between the dynamic ocean and the land where we live."

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, salt marshes absorb flooded waters and wave energy during storms. This creates an up to 20% decrease in property damage in adjacent communities.

Jaggard noted the plan will try to protect Southeast coastal communities and military bases.

"A comprehensive conservation plan could help communities, and the military, better prepare for the future through coordinated, forward thinking transportation, targeted restoration projects and conservation of adjacent open lands," Jaggard outlined.

He added the plan will be modeled after America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative, which already has increased the trees' population by 40% in the last 10 years.

As Pennsylvania continues to grow its solar-energy capacity, a new report found the roofs of big-box stores present a big opportunity to increase clean-energy use.

The Commonwealth has more than 3,700 major retail sites, with large rooftops unobstructed by shade. Analysis from PennEnvironment and Frontier Group showed the combined space could generate 3,000 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity each year, enough to power almost 300,000 homes.

Rachel Vresilovic, climate and clean energy associate for PennEnvironment, said it would play a big role in helping Pennsylvania move away from fossil fuels.

"Right now, thousands of big-box store roofs and parking lots have no solar panels installed," Vresilovic reported. "We're missing out on a great opportunity to produce clean, renewable energy right here in Pennsylvania, and that needs to change now."

Nationally, Target, IKEA, Kohl's and Walmart have all started to solarize their rooftops. The report found with increased solar energy, Pennsylvania could reduce its carbon-dioxide pollution by nearly two-million metric tons, equivalent to taking more than 400,000 cars off the roads.

Marian Moskowitz, chair of the Chester County Board of Commissioners, said there is work to be done to incentivize businesses to install solar panels. She said she is excited by programs like C-PACE, a state program which allows commercial building owners to get long-term financing for energy efficiency and water conservation projects.

Moskowitz thinks rooftop solar would be an ideal use for the program.

"It is a smart business decision, because it gives our businesses the ability to lower their energy bills and hedge against unpredictable rising energy prices," Moskowitz asserted. "It is intrinsic upon everyone to address global climate change, and we must start at the local level if we're going to create a healthier planet."

Chester County approved a resolution in December to activate its participation in C-PACE. Other policy recommendations in the report include extending federal and state solar-energy tax credits and promoting community solar programs.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting public comments through the end of this month regarding a proposal which would sharply reduce methane pollution.

Environmental advocates in Pennsylvania say it is critical for residents to provide testimony because they are not being protected from the oil and natural-gas industry.

A study from the Environmental Defense Fund found the state's gas industry leaked more than one million tons of methane in 2017.

Barb Jarmoska, officer of the Responsible Drilling Alliance, said the effects of methane's potent greenhouse gas contribute significantly to climate change, which is already negatively impacting Pennsylvanians.

"We are putting Pennsylvania citizens in harm's way in order to send this methane elsewhere," Jarmoska asserted. "I hope as many Pennsylvania citizens as possible will take the time to visit the EPA website and let their voice be heard."

Pennsylvania is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse-gas pollution in the United States. The EPA is accepting written comments from the public on the proposal until Jan. 31.

Hundreds of Pennsylvanians shared their thoughts on the proposal last month during three days of virtual public testimony hosted by the EPA.

Ralph Kisberg, consultant for the Responsible Drilling Alliance, was among those who spoke, saying the federal rule is needed because of inaction by state leaders to sufficiently regulate methane emissions.

"People everywhere deserve the same protections," Kisberg contended. "This goes for climate emissions from Pennsylvania as well as health-damaging emissions. Here, the political influence of the industry is too vast, the industry too out of sight for most, the emissions too invisible."

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection also released an updated plan to impose stronger restrictions on oil and gas well sites leaking methane, but advocates say it leaves thousands of low-producing wells exempt from the ruling.

Connecticut has secured its first National Estuarine Research Reserve along part of the state's Long Island Sound.

Conservationists applaud the news as key toward finding solutions to address habitats threatened by climate change. The reserve is a state-federal partnership, providing annual funding for research on climate resiliency, water quality, and fish and wildlife habitats.

Patrick Comins, executive director of the Connecticut Audubon Society, who has been a strong advocate for the reserve, said scientists have learned a lot about species of Long Island Sound over the last decade, and the funding presents a chance to uncover more.

"We didn't even know that cownose rays were found in Long Island Sound, let alone that they are a globally vulnerable species, and we have particularly good numbers of them here in Long Island Sound," Comins explained. "What we learn here helps us to be more effective, spending the funding that we have for the related ecosystems."

The Connecticut reserve, the nation's 30th, includes more than 50,000 acres in the southeastern part of the state, where the Connecticut and Thames rivers meet Long Island Sound. Nearly 50 species listed under the Connecticut Endangered Species Act can be found within the reserve.

Funding for the reserve also supports local educational programs, particularly opportunities for underserved communities facing environmental injustice.

Kevin O'Brien, supervising environmental analyst for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said as a living laboratory, the reserve can help inspire the next generation of scientists.

"Humans use these areas for recreation, to make their living, and all of them need to work cooperatively, and hand in hand," O'Brien asserted. "The more folks we can get interested in environmental issues now, the better chance we have to be better environmental stewards down the road."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oversees the entire National Estuarine Research Reserve system.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the University of Connecticut and Connecticut Sea Grant are the primary state partners.

O'Brien added a ceremony celebrating the creation of the reserve is anticipated for this spring at Avery Point.