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PHILADELPHIA, PA
PERMIT NO. 6602
News and
Information for
Since 1967, Protecting Everyone’s Right to Breathe Clean Air Members of
Clean Air Council
Philadelphia Office Executive Director
135 S. 19th Street, Suite 300 Joseph Otis Minott, Esq.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215.567.4004 Staff
Jim Black
Harrisburg Office Thurm Brendlinger
August 2010
107 N. Front Street, Suite 113 Eric Cheung, Esq

Harrisburg, PA 17101 Anthony DiSorbo Number 13

Katie Edwards
717.230.8806
Katie Feeney
Mariko Franz
Wilmington Office
712 W. 26th Street
Wilmington, DE 19802
302.691.0112
Bill Hassall
Sean McCormick
Nick Rogers
Tommy Sestak
29th Annual 5K Run for Clean Air Kicks Off
For four decades, members of
Clean Air Council have made
Kate Zaidan

Canvass Staff
40th Anniversary Celebration of Earth Day
Will Fraser
a difference in Pennsylvania,
David Gibson
New Jersey and Delaware,
helping everyone to breathe a
Martin Hage IN THIS ISSUE:
Anderson McEwen
little easier. Members receive
quarterly issues of Fresh Air,
James Woodend
Heather Parker 1 29th Annual 5K Run for
Clean Air Kicks Off
action alerts, invitations to Brandon Wright Anniversary Celebration
special events and the annual Steve Ross
5K Run. Please send your
comments to Joe Minott,
Brian Zeck
James Hatzopoulos
2 Council Unites Communities
and Wind Energy
Executive Director.
Volunteers, Interns & Part-time Staff
Norman Feldman
2 Council Celebrates 40th
Anniversary of Earth Day
Thinking about a bequest?
Consider leaving a gift to
Mervyn Kline
Sarah Milner 2 Delaware Recycling Bill Signed
Clean Air Council in your will.
Learn more by calling
David Berlin
David Presley
David Scull
3 Council Recognized by
JeffSTARS
215.567.4004, ext. 116. Coryn Wolk
Jaclyn Sekula 3 Council Targets Port Trucks
to Lower Asthma

JOE’S CORNER 3 IdleFreePhilly Month

3 Green Economy Jobs

David Berger Challenge
Every donation you make to Clean Air Council between
now and September 15 will be DOUBLED! Funded by a
generous match from the David Berger Foundation,
your $50 gift today will become $100, $100 will be
doubled to $200 – and every dollar will be put to work
towards a program that keeps kids healthy, the Children’s
Environmental Health Program (CEH). The Council’s
CEH program has been advocating for legislation that
protects children from harmful synthetic materials,
educating parents on the best ways to protect their
children from toxins in the home, and educating
communities on sources of pollution that cause illnesses
such as asthma. DONATE NOW to ensure all children
have the right to breathe clean air! To donate, use the
form provided in this newsletter to send in your check
made out to the Clean Air Council to 135 S 19th St,
Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19103 or visit cleanair.org
to donate online. For more information, contact
Mariko Franz at mfranz@cleanair.org.
Enough Already! 4 Joe’s Corner: Enough Already:
Ramping Up “Beyond Coal”
Efforts
Coal is the gift that keeps on giving. Or perhaps more accurately the nightmare
that never ends. Not only is coal responsible for more than 30 percent of
America’s global warming pollution, burning coal also creates nasty leftovers
Clean Air Council would
in the form of coal combustion residuals, also known as coal ash. Every year
like to thank the following
power plants in the United States produce more than 130 million tons of coal
ash that contains toxics such as arsenic, chromium, lead, and mercury. Gold sponsors of the
Living near a coal ash site is significantly more dangerous than smoking a 5K Run for Clean Air
pack of cigarettes a day, according to a risk assessment done by EPA. And for their generosity
people living near unlined coal ash ponds can have an extremely high 1 in 50 and support:
risk of cancer. That’s more than 2,000 times higher than what EPA considers
an acceptable risk.
Close to 2,000 runners competed in the 2010 5K Run for Clean Air.
As President Obama works to pass energy and climate change legislation Community Energy
this summer, the Clean Air Council is ramping up its own “beyond coal” campaign efforts. It was a record-shattering event: over 2,000 attendees, 35
At the national level, the Council supports EPA’s recently proposed new rule that would cut pollution CBS Radio national and local sponsor exhibits, and 5 CBS radio stations
at power plants in 31 states. The Council is also actively supporting EPA’s proposal to establish federal broadcasting live and reaching thousands of listeners were
Camden Iron and Metal present to enjoy the beautiful Saturday morning along the
safeguards for millions of tons of dangerous coal ash waste currently being stored in dry dumps and
scenic Schuylkill Banks.
waste ponds. The coal industry must start paying the cost of reducing the pollution and waste it generates. MindTV This year, the 5K Run for Clean Air was a certified green
The Council is working hard to make sure these EPA proposals become law. event for the first time in its 29-year history. With the support
The Council is also targeting existing older and most polluting coal plants in Pennsylvania for closure PECOWind of our sponsors, the Council implemented a series of sustainable
practices so that participants could enjoy a sense of accomplish-
and opposing a recent move by the coal industry to use state money to begin coal-to-liquid fuel research.
SEPTA ment, not only from participating in the Run, but also from
Taxpayers should not be supporting new uses for coal. being environmentally conscious – something no other run in
The coal industry, meanwhile, is fighting with all its resources to keep the status quo. You can personally Walmart the area offers. Paperless registration eliminated the printing
Visit www.5Krunforcleanair.org to sign up for the
help the Council reduce pollution in our communities by visiting our website cleanair.org. There you’ll find and mailing of over 25,000 Run brochures. Runners were urged
Run’s e-newsletter and to stay connected with the
instructions on how to send comments to the EPA directly in support of its proposals for tighter coal and coal
to take public transportation, walk, or bike (bicycle valet pro-
5K Run for Clean Air.
vided!) All of the Run’s trash was either composted or recycled!
ash regulations. It’s time to move beyond coal and invest in renewable resources and clean energy jobs. Next year marks the 30th Anniversary of the 5K Run for
For more information, contact Katie Edwards at
Clean Air, and Clean Air Council is already anticipating an kedwards@cleanair.org.
even bigger record-breaking event in 2011!
 2 3
Clean Air Council Brings Communities
and Wind Energy Together
Currently Pennsylvania ranks fourth in wind power
installations among states east of the Mississippi River, with
748 megawatts of wind installed. The Council has been an
integral part of that success and strongly believes
Pennsylvania has the potential to be number one.
As part of its efforts to promote this clean energy source,
Clean Air Council recently hosted two successful wind
energy workshops in Altoona and Wilkes-Barre, PA. The
workshops were sponsored by the United States Department
of Energy, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection, Appalachian Regional Commission, American
Wind Energy Association, and a number of other local
nonprofit agencies. These sessions engaged nearly 200
municipal and regional government officials located in
Pennsylvania counties marked by significant wind
power potential.
The majority of Pennsylvania’s wind farms are located
in Somerset County. Somerset County Commissioner James
Marker spoke to the Altoona group about his county’s
positive experience with wind energy. In the north-central
region of Pennsylvania, Sharon Chaio, Township
Commissioner of Mahanoy Township, spoke to the
Recycling Bill In Delaware
Delaware was one of the few states in the region that did
not have a mandatory recycling law. To ensure passage of a
strong recycling bill and move forward on Governor Markell’s
goal of making Delaware a Zero Waste state by 2020, Clean
Air Council founded the Zero Waste Working Group
(ZWWG). The ZWWG brings together an unprecedented
group of community activists and businesses to work collabo-
The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day
The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day brought with it numerous environmental events involving the Council throughout the region. In addition to the 29th Annual 5K Run for Clean Air, Council staff attended green-themed events
at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Arcadia University, Liberty Place, the Philadelphia International Airport, Centacor, the Philadelphia Zoo, Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, Meredith School, and Mishkan Shalom Synagogue.
The Council also co-sponsored a screening of Disneynature “OCEANS” and a 40th Earth Day Rally on Independence Mall. If you were out and about at Earth Day events this spring, chances are you saw the Council.
Local officials from across Pennsylvania gathered to learn about the potential for wind energy in their municipalities and toured
wind farms in Altoona, PA and Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Wilkes-Barre workshop about some of the objections that
were raised in local public meetings with their community’s
consideration of a wind farm. Other topics covered were
the basics of wind energy development, model wind energy
ratively to solve previously insurmountable obstacles to
recycling and waste reduction.
On June 8th, at the base of the ever-growing Cherry
Island Landfill, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed the
historic universal recycling bill: SB 234. Under the provi-
sions of this bill every resident of Delaware will have access
to curbside recycling; however, they are not required to
participate. SB 234 mandates that anyone who hauls
ordinances, and impacts of wind energy on property values.
To wrap up each workshop, a tour of a local wind farm gave
participants a firsthand look at this clean energy technology.
For more information, contact Thurm Brendlinger at
brendlinger@cleanair.org.
waste in Delaware must offer both recycling and waste
services combined for a single fee.
Now that the recycling bill is law, Clean Air Council will
continue its efforts with the Zero Waste Working Group to
make Delaware the first state in the nation to be Zero Waste.
For more information, contact Jim Black
at jblack@cleanair.org.
Clean Air Council Recognized “I Want a Job in the Green
by JeffSTARS Program Economy!”
On May 28, 2010 Clean Air Council was recognized by Thomas Jefferson University and
Nemours, a children’s health system, for its service and contribution to the medical student and resi-
dent training program. In the inaugural year of the training program, the Council worked with over
30 residents and medical students on the importance of air quality and advocacy as a component of
their future work in the medical community. All program participants spent a day at the Council
learning about the link between the environment and public health, especially air quality impacts on
asthma. In addition, the Council taught future doctors about the basics of building relationships with
elected officials. For more information, contact Thurm Brendlinger at brendlinger@cleanair.org.
The Council to Clean up
Port Trucks; Reduce Diesel
Particulates and Lower
Frequency of Asthma
Drayage trucks, the short haul trucks that move goods from the ports to distribution centers, tend
to be heavy polluters because they are older, and have been “retired” to making shorter trips to and A recent graduates from Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and other
from the ports. Diesel emissions are a public health concern because they contain particulates and local colleges gathered at Philadelphia City Hall to voice their readiness for the green jobs that
chemicals that aggravate asthma and negatively effect the region’s air quality. would be created if the U.S. Senate passed energy and climate legislation.
The Council received funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to retrofit
60 of these drayage trucks’ with pollution control devices which will help reduce emissions in On June 10, 2010 a group of college students, recent graduates, green job providers,
Philadelphia port neighborhoods. Depending on which retrofit technology is used, these trucks can and activists worried about their economic futures gathered in front of Philadelphia’s
be expected to annually emit 25-50% less particulate matter, up to 50% less hydrocarbons and City Hall. Dressed in caps and gowns, activists voiced their readiness for the “green
20-50% less carbon monoxide. By dramatically reducing dangerous air pollution from these old
diesel trucks, this project will help reduce rates of asthma in children, and decrease cardiopulmonary
disease in port communities.
jobs” that would be created if the U.S. Senate passes climate and energy legislation this
summer. The event, organized by the Clean Air Council, was followed by a
“Commencement Walk” to Senator Robert P. Casey Jr.’s Philadelphia office to hand
In addition to the drayage truck retrofits, the Council will oversee the replacement of two diesel
service vehicles: a tank truck and a box truck owned by Marine Lubricants, Inc., based out of the deliver “résumé” petitions asking the Senator to be a champion in the fight to pass
clean energy and climate legislation in the U.S. Senate this summer. For more
Wilmington, DE. The significant age of these vehicles—21 and 24 years, respectively—increases the
emissions reduction benefits. Replacing these two vehicles with newer, cleaner models will result in information, contact Katie Feeney at kfeeney@cleanair.org.
annual Oxides of Nitrogen reductions of almost a quarter ton, and particulate matter emissions from
these two vehicles will be reduced by 97.4%. For more information, about the Council’s Clean Ports
Program contact Kate Zaidan at kzaidan@cleanair.org.
M E M B E R S H I P F O R M
Philadelphia Designates April, Join Clean Air Council, the most active locally-based environmental organization in Pennsylvania and
2010 “IdleFreePhilly Month” Delaware with 7,000 members committed to the region's clean air future.
Send this form along with your tax-deductible Yes, I want to protect our air!
contribution to:
On April 1, 2010, the Mayor of the Clean Air Council
●
●
$40 Individual
$60 Family
City of Philadelphia, Michael A. Nutter,
135 South 19th Street, Suite 300 ● $150 Sustaining Supporter*
signed a proclamation declaring April,
● $365 Earth Day Donor
2010 to be “IdleFreePhilly Month.” Philadelphia, PA 19103 ● Other amount $__________
The proclamation explained that the
“Clean Air Council is championing
Name
IdleFreePhilly Month. This month-long
celebration aims to increase awareness of Address
the City’s anti-idling laws and improve
their enforcement with community assis- Eric Cheung, Clean Air Council Senior Attorney, City State Zip
tance. Additionally, IdleFreePhilly addressed reporters at the “IdleFreePhilly Month”
Month will also kick off a statewide anti- press conference. Cheung emphasized the need
to limit unnecessary vehicle idling to improve air quality.
Phone E-mail
idling outreach initiative this spring.”
Please charge my credit card: ● MasterCard ● VISA ● American Express
The Council unveiled idlefreephilly.org last year as a way for Philadelphia residents to report
violations of the City’s anti-idling ordinance, which limits truck or bus idling to five minutes. Card # Exp. Date
Mayor Nutter concluded the proclamation by urging “all citizens to learn more about anti-idling
in Philadelphia as well as the entire state of Pennsylvania to increase awareness among friends, Signature
neighbors and family members.” *Cumulative yearly gift of $150 recognized at www.cleanair.org and in the annual report.
In celebration of the City’s proclamation, Clean Air Council held a press conference on
Independence Mall. Speakers included representatives from Philadelphia’s Air Management Services
and the Philadelphia Parking Authority, which both have authority to enforce anti-idling laws. Membership Services may be reached directly at 215.567.4004, ext. 107.
Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Philadelphia’s 311 Contact Or become a member instantly by going to www.cleanair.org
Center, and SEPTA also participated. Television stations ABC (6) and NBC (3) covered the event as A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the PA Department of State by calling
part of their local news. 800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement
According to IdleFreePhilly Program Coordinator Kate Zaidan, traffic for idlefreephilly.org
significantly increased in the wake of the proclamation and press conference.