WARREN, Pa. -- A Western Pennsylvania conservation group is petitioning the Allegheny National Forest to prohibit bike riding on all non-motorized trails across its more than 500,000 acres of land due to safety concerns.

The Friends of Allegheny Wilderness are calling on the U.S. Forest Service to formally amend its 2007 Land and Resource Management Plan for the Allegheny National Forest because they say the advent of potentially fast-moving electric bikes, which can be indistinguishable from regular mountain bikes, poses a physical danger to hikers.

Kirk Johnson, executive director of the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness, said the group's request can help ensure a positive hiking experience.

"E-bikes can travel greater distances in less amount of time at high rates of speed, so they're a real threat to not only just regular hikers but also especially to younger hikers or elderly hikers," Johnson explained.

E-bikes are not permitted on non-motorized trails. A spokesperson for the Allegheny National Forest said in a statement they are reviewing the petition and the forest is committed to "balancing the needs of user groups while sustaining the health, diversity and productivity of the forest."

Johnson said the ban would not apply to the Jakes Rocks mountain biking trail in Allegheny National Forest. The Friends group is asking for a ban on pedestrian access to the trail out of an abundance of caution. Johnson added it is important to keep all visitors to the national forest out of harm's way.

"I think what they have to do when it comes to trails is get away from the multiple-use concept," Johnson urged. "We need dedicated hiking trails with no e-bikes, no mountain bikes, and then there should also be dedicated mountain-bike trails. "

Mountain-bike riders would still be able to utilize other motorized trails in the forest, including Rocky Gap, Willow Creek, Marienville, Timberline and Penoke. Under the petition, mountain bike riders would have nearly 144 miles of trail to use, a reduction of about 45 miles.

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.