Members of the 2026 Altoona Area High School senior class release balloons during Senior Sunrise activities at Mansion Park Stadium. Courtesy photo

HOLLIDAYSBURG — An Altoona woman asked Blair County commissioners on Thursday for a ban on balloon releases, something that she thought everyone knew to be hazardous to wildlife, the environment and aviators.

“Let’s be first and let’s lead the way,” Rosemary Ellis told commissioners during their weekly meeting.

While some states, including California, Florida, New York, Virginia and Louisiana as of Aug. 1, have banned the mass release of balloons, the idea remains a proposal before Pennsylvania’s legislators.

And while some municipalities like Mobile, Ala., prohibit the deliberate release of balloons as part of its litter law, no Pennsylvania municipality has taken that approach.

Commissioners Dave Kessling and Amy Webster, when asked after their meeting about their interest in banning balloons, said they don’t have the power to do that.

Pennsylvania’s governing structure puts environmental management and the regulatory authority in the hands of state lawmakers. Municipal governments may have some management options through ordinances to address littering and public nuisances.

Ellis told commissioners that her request for the ban was prompted by the Altoona Area High School senior class’s recent balloon release during Senior Sunrise at Mansion Park. Ellis said she contacted district Superintendent Brad Hatch, who assured her that the balloons were biodegradable with no dangerous strings.

“However, I have learned that these (biodegradable) balloons take six months to several years to degrade, posing a similar threat as plastic,” Ellis told county commissioners.

“Wildlife often mistake the balloons as food and ingestion is deadly,” Ellis said. “Birds and other animals get tangled in strings, which results in injury, prevents feeding, escaping predators or flying. Farm animals such as goats and cows are harmed by eating the balloons or strings.”

State Sen. Amanda Cappelletti of Delaware County is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 879, which seeks to prohibit the intentional release of balloons throughout Pennsylvania. The bill establishes exceptions for scientific and meteorological purposes, as approved by relevant authorities.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.