Environment

Everyone has a right to safe and clean air, water, and access to greenspaces—but across Southwestern PA, a person’s ZIP code often determines whether they actually have it.

• Our region has been ranked as 9th worst for fine particle matter pollution.
• Pittsburgh youth who live near polluting mills and plants have nearly triple the national rate of childhood asthma.
• The most polluted areas are often in poor and minority neighborhoods, while places with the cleanest air tend to be in wealthier and whiter neighborhoods.

It shouldn’t be this way.

As Democratic Chair of the PA House Health Committee and member of the bipartisan Blue-Green Caucus, I know we can’t pit our economic goals against a citizen’s health and well-being.

Relying on oil, coal, and natural gas for Pennsylvania’s energy needs is an unsustainable path for our people and planet. The role of the General Assembly should be to invest in green energy solutions while we effectively tax and regulate polluters. I always have and always will oppose giveaways and incentives that exclusively benefit the fossil fuel industry.

Fracking Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a method of extracting natural oil and gas that involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure under the earth’s surface. This is an involved and risky process, and one that PA needs to lessen our reliance on. Some of the legislation I’ve introduced and/or supported that relates to fracking includes:

• Requiring the state departments of Health and Environmental Protection to collect, analyze and maintain updated, publicly available data on the impact of fracking on public health.
• Closing the hazardous oil and gas waste loophole that exempts oil and gas companies from the requirement to thoroughly test or treat waste prior to disposal.

These policies would not just benefit the environment. They would also protect our health and help position Pennsylvania as a leader in the new economy. If we are going to thrive, we have to make sure that our residents know that their state government will prioritizing their help and safety over the fossil fuel industry.

That’s why I:

• Called on the Wolf administration to close the methane loophole, which allows too many wells to go unregulated.
• Advocated to join our Northeast Corridor neighbors in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a thoughtful and tested approach to rapidly cutting greenhouse emissions from our biggest polluters.
• Led the fight in the PA House against the medical “gag rule” that would have prevented doctors from speaking with their patients about the chemicals in fracking and its potential impact on their health.
• Consistently fought repeated GOP efforts to reduce Pennsylvania’s setback requirements that restrict drilling near homes and waterways.