Environmentalists Don't Want Pittsburgh to go Backwards

Environmental activists rallied at City Hall in Pittsburgh this morning in calling for renewed support of federal air standards under the Clean Air Act.
Pittsburgh Councilman Bill Peduto joined the rally and then later introduced a resolution declaring today Clean Air Act Day....."When companies think about locating their business, they don't want to be in an area that's 19th century when it comes to clean air. They want to be in an area that's 21st century. We shouldn't be losing jobs to Boston, Washington, and Austin, Texas because tech companies and other companies want to move to a place with clean air."

Randy Francisco of the Sierra Club said he's concerned that Congress will attempt to limit federal oversight of coal plant emissions...."Some folks in Congress want to take that away from us. We've made so much progress in Pittsburgh. We don't want to go backwards, we want to go forward."

Lucille Prater-Holliday, President of Pennsylvania Communities Organizing for Change, said it's important that the current generation and future generations have clean air.."Communities suffering from asthma and other conditions caused by diesel fuel and coal plants. We've begun to organize communities of low-income persons and persons of color to help them to understand what happens to them when the air is not clean."

Peduto and the environmental groups called on the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation to block limits on federal oversight of emissions.