Program areas at Clean Air Council
4a) Outdoor Air Quality Education: Clean Air Council maintained its program to address the air quality and environmental impacts from Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction, processing, and infrastructure and from petrochemical facilities. As part of this work the Council helped defeat the proposed PennEast Pipeline project. It organized community residents to push for the strictest standards in cleaning up the former Sunoco/PES oil refinery site in Southwest Philadelphia. It continued to oppose a proposed quarry in Springfield, Bucks County. In Pittsburgh, the Council continued to educate and train resident watchdog groups to push local officials to reduce air pollution from local facilities.
4c) - Transportation Education: The Council continued to promote use of its GoPhillyGo regional multi-modal carless trip-planning website. Clean Air Council encouraged Philadelphia employees to commute sustainably to work through its Mobility Alternatives Program (MAP). The Council continued to organize two different month-long cycling challenges each year with Love to Ride in order to encourage more bike-riding. Its Feet First Philly program awarded eight more pedestrian enhancement mini-grants in Philadelphia.
4b) Global Warming Education: Clean Air Council supported neighboring communities in their fight to stop the siting of a natural gas power plant in Renovo and a natural gas refinery in Luzerne. And in South Philadelphia, the Council helped the community to successfully prevent a liquified natural gas plant from being built. The Council also worked to push Philadelphias heating fuel utility PGW to transition away from natural gas as a fuel. The Council organized public support for a new federal EPA rule to reduce methane emissions from existing facilities. It continued to push for Pennsylvania to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
4d) Other Education: Clean Air Council continued to reduce tobacco smoke pollution by working with apartments and other multi-unit housing structures to go smoke-free across Pennsylvania. It advocated against a Pennsylvania law that would preempt local townships from banning plastic bags and saw Philadelphia adopt a single-use plastic bag ban as the result of its long-time efforts. Due to a number of challenges, including from the COVID-19 pandemic, Clean Air Council discontinued its annual public awareness events (Run for Clean Air and Greenfest Philly) beginning this year.
4e) Other Education: Clean Air Council continued to reduce tobacco smoke pollution by working with apartments and other multi-unit housing structures to go smoke-free across Pennsylvania. It advocated against a Pennsylvania law that would preempt local townships from banning plastic bags. The Council fought to revoke the Mariner East 2 Pipeline Projects water permits after it caused contamination of waterways in Pennsylvania and called on the Delaware River Basin Committee to improve its water quality standards to protect local fish species.