July 1: Clean Construction press conference & Council hearing

Pittsburgh Council Hearing on Clean Air/Clean Water Regulations, July 1

July 1, 2010

1:00 pm

Image courtesy of GASP

Pittsburgh residents need to send a strong message to their Council members calling for new environmental regulations for publicly supported development in the city. Please attend the following:

Thursday, July 1
1:00 pm, Press Conference
1:30 pm, Public Hearing
Fifth Floor, City County Building
414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh

This is part of the Pittsburgh United campaign to reform publicly-funded development in Pittsburgh. For summaries of the two pieces of legislation see below:

Mitigating Storm Water Run-off
During heavy rainstorms, storm water run-off forces untreated sewage into our rivers. Publicly funded development should lead the way in innovative techniques to control and drastically reduce this problem.

• During nearly two thirds of the days of our city’s boating season, the water is not safe to touch.
• The current estimate for ALCOSAN’s portion of the EPA mandated repairs to its system is estimated to be from $3 billion to as much as $20 billion.
• Uncontrolled storm water runoff washes vehicle exhaust products, oil, grease, gasoline, road deicers, and carcinogenic topping compounds for asphalt and concrete down our storm water sewers into our rivers
• Most of us get our drinking water from the three rivers

The Clean Water bill will require developments that receive our tax dollars to drastically reduce their storm water run-off.

Reducing Diesel Emissions
Diesel emissions harm our health, our environment and our economy. Publicly-funded development should be a partner in protecting our health and environment.

• Diesel soot cancer risk in Pittsburgh area is 408 times greater than EPA’s acceptable cancer level of 1 in a million. Our risk is 1 in 2,449
• Pittsburgh area workers projected to miss 13,558 days of work in 2010 because of unnecessary exposure to diesel fine particles
• Kids’ emergency room visits for asthma-like symptoms 400% higher in Pittsburgh than other cities
• Black carbon, emitted by diesels, is one of the largest contributing pollutants to global warming

The Clean Air bill will require that contracts for publicly funded development in the City of Pittsburgh must ensure that all diesel vehicles on site to have the Best Available Diesel Control Technology installed and that Ultra low sulfur diesel fuel is used by construction vehicles.