Group Pushes for Cleaner Construction Equipment

Residents from all 9 Pittsburgh City Council districts signed over 1,000 postcards that were presented to Council today. The postcards were in support of a bill that would require contractors working on publicly-funded development in Pittsburgh to either use retrofitted diesel or new, cleaner equipment. The bill was introduced last year, but hasn't been brought forward.

Tom Hoffman, Western PA Director of Clean Water Action, says that Pittsburgh has a dual reputation as one of America's most livable cities as well as one of America's lowest air quality cities. "This is a concrete step that City Council can take to help clean up the air. Because fact of the matter is, if we continue to have that reputation of having the worst air in the country people jut are not going to want to come here and there won't be any development. So it really is a question of the community coming together and saying this is a problem we need to solve."

Hoffman says the public has the right to ask this of developers because it is their money going into construction. He says that when the bill comes to a vote he has at least four strong supporters on Council.

Clean Water Action also sent Council posters made at a summer camp about the bill as well as a previous letter signed by 35 health professionals urging them to pass the bill.