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County Council Health & Human Services Committee Slated to Meet Feb. 20, Be There to Tell Members to VOTE YES on Air Quality Funding Proposal

Save the date, friends: Allegheny County Council’s proposal to fully fund our air quality program through increasing certain fees on industrial polluters could be back up for discussion next month and we want to send a strong message to members serving on the Health and Human Services Committee.


Basically, that message is: Stop politicizing our public health. We need to ensure we have a fully funded air quality program now more than ever: The flurry of executive orders taking aim at both environmental and public health initiatives, research, and funding, should be the impetus we need to come together to protect our corner of the universe. 


We need to let committee members know they need to listen to the residents - the voters - who’ve trusted them to do the right thing. To let them know that residents - voters - will need to hear an explanation from those who have voted no (or threatened to) without ever having to look them in the eyes and tell them why.


We need to ask them why they are opposed - specifically - to a proposal that has been vetted by the Allegheny County Air Advisory Committee and the Allegheny County Board of Health and then subject to a public comment where it received nearly unanimous support. 


We (collectively) have called their offices, emailed them, and sent them messages on social media. We showed up to committee meetings and to council meetings to show our robust support. We need to ask them what more we need to do for them to listen to the people.


So, save the date: The committee meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Allegheny County Courthouse. GASP will be there and we hope you will join us. The agenda is out but very sparse on details. It can be viewed right here:


Stay tuned - more to come from GASP on the meeting. Until then, here’s a refresher on why this funding proposal is so important and who - and how - to contact and what to say.



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