Former Rep. Franklin Kury discusses environmental milestone, new book

Photo of Franklin Kury from the cover of his book, "Clean Streams, Clean Politics"

​​Pennsylvania is one of the only states in the nation in which we have a constitutional right to “pure water,” along with clean air and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment.

One of the leaders at the center of the Environmental Rights Amendment to the state constitution – passed 50 years ago this May – was Franklin Kury, a Sunbury native who rode a clean streams platform to the first of three terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1966.

“The incumbent House member, Adam Bower, voted against bringing coal companies under the Clean Streams Law. Basse Beck was leading a fight to get that bill approved,” Kury said. “When Bower voted no, Beck said: ‘You run and I’ll be your campaign manager.’ So I ran, and we beat him.”

Beck, as general manager of The Daily Item newspaper in Sunbury, was a major advocate for cleaning up the region’s waterways – writing a regular column under the header “Up and Down the River” to bring awareness to environmental issues.

“I did not realize until later, but Basse Beck was one of the first to challenge the coal and electric power companies on behalf of the environment,” said Kury.

Touting the Clean Streams Act and the Environmental Rights Amendment, Kury admitted that the 1960s offered a sense of awakening among people to environmental issues that made it much easier to push through legislation.

“The year before I ran, the Barnes and Tucker Coal Company in Cambria County let loose a big discharge of coal dirt or waste into the river. They killed the whole West Branch,” Kury said. “As the waste got to Williamsport, the headlines were all about the coal slug hitting Williamsport. When it got to Milton, the Milton paper focused on the coal slug hitting there. When it made it to Sunbury, The Daily Item had headlines about the coal slug in Sunbury.

“People used that river for fishing and boating. When this happened, it upset a lot of people.”

In terms of the Clean Streams Law, original drafts kept coal companies out from its jurisdiction.

“We worked hard to put together a new one,” said Kury. Ultimately, it required “everyone who discharges into the river had to get a permit. That was a big thing, along with requiring state inspections. It led to a comprehensive rewriting of the law.”

Kury later shared his story in the book “Clean Streams, Clean Politics: A Legislative Autobiography of Reflections.”

“The most exciting thing about that book was that the state supreme court found it when they were interpreting the environmental amendment to the state constitution,” he said. “The chief justice found the book and quoted it literally in that case. It was the biggest legal-political success of my life. It was stunning.”

Kury, 84, is following up with a new book, which is due to be released in April to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Environmental Rights Amendment.

“It includes the whole history of how we got the amendment, how it got into the legislature, what Basse Beck did to help move things along,” said Kury. “The book goes on to explain what is going on in the history of the United States, the exploitation of the coal regions, copper mining in Montana and the public awakening of the ’60s.”

Kury’s new book, titled “The Constitutional Right to Save the Planet: The People’s Right to a Healthy Environment,” also takes a look at things since the passing of the state amendment and will include a chart that compares Pennsylvania’s constitution to the other 49 states.

“I personally interviewed people all over the country,” he said. “I flew to California, to Oregon, to North Carolina. I went to Annapolis and Philadelphia. I interviewed a lot of people.”

The book’s nearing completion is something that Kury is very excited about.

“I didn’t think I’d live long enough to do it,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see the 50th anniversary of the amendment, let alone write a book about it. It’s a great feeling.”

As for legislators today, Kury urges them to reacquaint themselves with the laws of the state.

“They have to take the environmental amendment – article 1, Section 27 – seriously. I don’t think all of them do,” he said. “They have to realize they have an obligation here – you have to put it to work.”

Listen the full Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Podcast interview with Franklin Kury here:

Check out our growing library of podcast interviews with outdoor influencers from throughout our watershed by clicking here. Our list of guests include:

• Veterinarian Kathleen Mullen on her study involving sick foals and potential ties to fracking.
• Andrew Dehoff, of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, on the group's 50th anniversary.
• Don Shappelle, musician, on creating river songs with young people and the Songs of the Susquehanna project.
• John Levitsky, water specialist for the Luzerne County Conservation District, on abandoned mine drainage at the Plainsville Borehole Discharge.
• Cain Chamberlin, of the Endless Mountains Heritage Region, on the Tunkhannock Creek's nomination for River of the Year.
• R. John Dawes, the creator of the Water Report app that allows anglers and others to share their catches and help us track health trends in our fish species.
• Kathleen Lavelle, of Trout Unlimited, on a unique fish relocation project she helped oversee, trout-based trends in the region and the importance of volunteering
• John Dawes, of the Foundation for PA Watersheds, on assisting smaller watershed groups, acid mine drainage and other waterway threats.
• ProtectNorthernPA.org founder Diana Dakey on her concerns about the production and transportation of liquified natural gas.
• Teen kayaker and angler Lila Oast on how kayaking has opened doors for her.
• Outdoor educator Jon Beam and Audubon member Gary Metzger with an overview of duck species and the threats they face in our watershed.
• Renee Carey of the Northcentral Pa. Conservancy on the importance of preservation and public access.
• Benjamin Hayes, director of Bucknell University's Watershed Sciences and Engineering Program on health of the river.
• Salmon angler Steve Kurian on benefits of clean water and fresh fish.
• Educator Van Wagner on his unique Eels in the Classroom program and the importance of eels.
• Waterkeeper Alliance Executive Director Marc Yaggi on growing up in the Middle Susquehanna watershed and his quest in the fight for clean water.
• Outdoor educator Jolene Connelly on the importance of getting youth and women on our waterways
• Diving instructor Rich Best on trends, treasures and threats under the Susquehanna
• Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers spokesperson Tali MacArthur on the importance of assisting a watershed group
• Falconer Mike Dupuy on raptors of our river and the threats they face
• Fish and Boat Commission spokesman Mike Parker on the agency's efforts during COVID and the historic unexpected start to trout season
• Wesley Forest Camp director Emily Sliski with stories of getting young people engaged with nature at camp and on the Penns Creek
• Professional angler and YouTuber John Oast on how he got his start, what he has learned along the way and observations of the river
• Biologist David Lieb on the concerning trend of exotic crayfish eradicating native species in our watershed and how it is impacting the ecosystem

​As for the evolution of threats to our waterways, Kury relayed that he’s noticed a change of source.

“Back then, much of what we dealt with were point discharge. In other words, if you were running a factory in Sunbury or Milton, and you wanted to pour stuff into the river, you did it through a pipe – that is a point discharge,” he said. “Now, we have more fertilizers and other things spread out over acres.”

Kury's career and efforts to protect the environment was notable to many over the years, including John L. Moore, a retired newspaperman and historian, of Northumberland.

“Franklin L. Kury was perhaps the most effective Harrisburg lawmaker I covered during my three-year stint as a legislative correspondent for Ottaway Newspapers in 1973-1975,” he said.

"He was an idealistic environmentalist who had an excellent sense of timing. Kury knew that during the 1970s many environmental issues had broad public support. He also realized that powerful special interest groups opposed legislative bills that called for regulating industrial practices that caused different types of pollution. Kury worked diligently to propose tough legislation, making reasonable compromises when necessary, but marshalling public support to pressure lawmakers reluctant to support his bill.”


Kury’s passion for the outdoors began early, growing up along the river near Sunbury, and via Boy Scouts.

“I was a nature instructor at the Boy Scout camp in Union County,” he said. “I was the only guy in the whole troop who thought Bird Study was an easy merit badge.”
He eventually pursued a career in law, opening a practice in Sunbury.

“Basse Beck came to see me looking for legal help on a pro bono basis looking over his Clean Streams bill. I was just a new lawyer in town and wanted to get clients. Beck was a possibility,” he said. “I’d say it turned out pretty well.”

For more information about Kury and his new book, visit www.FranklinKury.com