new website and to Phil Rossi for leading our team on this project. Clean Air
Carolina: Your Advocates for Healthy Air. CAC staff (L to R) Kelly Picarsic, Susie.
Newsletter Issue 20 Summer 2009
CAC Hosts Air Quality Roundtable with Regional Leaders For the last several decades summertime in the Carolina Piedmont has meant ripe, juicy peaches, pink flowering crepe myrtles and high ozone levels. While Mother Nature has given us a break on the weather this summer and “code orange” days have been few, the Charlotte metro region still has much to do to ensure residents are breathing healthy air year round. Clean Air Carolina and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Chair Jennifer Roberts convened a roundtable discussion of regional business, government, environmental and health care leaders on August 24 to discuss solutions to our air quality problems and learn from Atlanta’s experience dealing with similar issues in the 1990’s. David Farren Senior Attorney Southern Environmental Law Center
David Farren, director of the transportation program at the Southern Environmental Law Center, was guest speaker at the two-hour roundtable meeting. David has over 15 years of legal and policy expertise in linking air quality planning with transportation and land use planning. Starting in the mid-1990’s he was involved in efforts in Atlanta to address its serious transportationrelated air quality issues that led to a cut-off of federal transportation funds under the Clean Air Act. David shared insights from his Atlanta experience with community leaders that are relevant to the growth challenges and choices now facing the greater Charlotte region. Those present expressed a range of concerns from losing highway funding to the health care costs associated with dirty air. The group acknowledged this is the beginning of a long term process to balance the economic and environmental needs of a growing region. Some of the issues discussed are outlined in the interview on page three.
Clean Air Carolina: Your Advocates for Healthy Air As the 8th smoggiest city in the nation, we have much work to do as a regional community to meet federal clean air standards. CAC is leading the charge for healthy air and is making several internal changes to ensure we reach as many people as possible with our educational and advocacy campaigns.
Clean Air Carolina
CAC staff (L to R) Kelly Picarsic, Susie Birkhead, June Blotnick and Phil Rossi
Look for our new website October 1st www.cleanaircarolina.org
Our new name, Clean Air Carolina, and tagline emphasizes clean air first and reinforces the notion that clean air is a matter of public health. We will officially launch the new name at our annual reception for major donors on September 20th at the Center of the Earth Art Gallery in Charlotte. Donors will have the opportunity to view beautiful artwork and hear special remarks by Chandra Taylor, Senior Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center and Dr. Dan Murrey, CAC donor and Mecklenburg County Commissioner. CAC has also worked hard this summer upgrading the website to integrate new tools and better opportunities to take action on the issues you care most about. Special thanks to Mike Wirth for redesigning the new website and to Phil Rossi for leading our team on this project.
CAC Goes to the Hill for Clean Construction Clean Air Carolina Our Mission
Clean Air Carolina is a nonprofit initiative working to restore clean and healthy air to the Central Carolinas region by raising awareness, building partnerships and advocating for policy changes and individual action. Staff June Blotnick, Executive Director Kelly Picarsic, Program Director, Clear the Air for Kids! Campaign Phil Rossi, Program Director, NC Clean Diesel Campaign Susie Birkhead, Office Manager Board of Directors Chris Paradise, Chair Jennifer Stamp, Vice-chair Andrew Kittelson, Treasurer Chanee Vijay, Secretary Jeff Baker Ira Cox Todd Glasier June Lambla Mike Lipscomb, PhD Katie Oates Abby Rangwala Keith Ratliff Board Advisors Nancy Bryant Liz Hair Larry Ostema Betty Chafin Rash Lawrence Raymond, MD Lisa Renstrom
Contact Us Clean Air Carolina 1801 N Tryon Street Suite 326 Charlotte, NC 28206 704.342.9161 www.cleanaircarolina.org Newsletter Editors: June Blotnick, Executive Director Kelly Picarsic, Program Director, Clear the Air for Kids! Campaign
As part of a national campaign funded by Clean Air Task Force, CAC represents North Carolina in reducing harmful diesel pollution emitted from trucks, buses and construction equipment. A major campaign goal this year is to secure funding to retrofit diesel equipment used on local, state and federal cons tr uction pr oj ects so that taxpayer money is not used to pollute the air.
Construction equipment is highly polluting unless retrofitted with pollution control devices.
In June, CAC Director June Blotnick, and Program Director for the NC Clean Diesel Campaign Phil Rossi, met with NC Congressional representatives and staff members to advocate for clean construction provisions in the new transportation bill, Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009. Federal clean construction provisions would require the use of 2007 diesel-engine equipment on government funded construction projects or if older equipment is used it must be retrofitted with pollution control devices that meet the EPA’s 2007 standard. The funding required to retrofit our country's dirtiest construction equipment would cost less than 1% of the total bill. One percent is not too much to pay for federal projects which will have a major impact on our nation's air quality. Diesel engines from construction vehicles and other equipment are the second largest source of diesel pollution in the country. According to the EPA, 37% of land-based particulate matter (PM) pollution comes from construction equipment. Our national clean diesel partnership successfully secured 52 signatures from House Representatives on a letter that calls for clean construction policies for federally funded construction projects. NC Rep. Mel Watt realizes the impact that diesel pollution has on our health, environment, and economic development, and he signed-on to this letter. Please thank Rep. Mel Watt for joining our efforts to clean up dirty diesel construction equipment: 1230 W. Morehead St., Suite 306, Charlotte, NC 28208 or http://watt.house.gov. See page four to learn more about our efforts to reduce the serious health and climate impacts of diesel pollution.
Sharing Ideas with Majora CAC hosted a luncheon with green economic development consultant Majora Carter on Tuesday, May 5 at ImaginOn in Charlotte. The luncheon was an opportunity for local c om m u n i t y development, clean energy and government leaders to meet Majora, founder of Sustainable South Bronx, the pioneering and highly successful nonprofit environmental justice solutions corporation. The Majora Carter Group is now working in North Carolina on several economic development projects. To find out more about Majora Carter’s work in the South Bronx, go to: www.majoracartergroup.com
Clean, Healthy Air: How Do We Get There? An Interview with David Farren, Senior Attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center Q. What can we learn from Atlanta’s experience with ozone nonattainment issues? A. The first lesson is that beltways are not always the best answer for moving traffic. Atlanta found that an approach that combined better coordinated land use and transportation planning with strengthening the existing road network was the best option for improving air quality and congestion and at less cost to the taxpayers than the proposed beltway. Another lesson is the connection between a decrease in ozone levels and a decrease in pediatric asthma acute care visits. During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, local leaders increased transit options and encouraged citizens to limit driving. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that as a result, peak weekday morning traffic counts dropped 22.5%, peak daily ozone concentrations decreased 27.9%, and acute care and hospital visits for children with asthma decreased 41.6%. Q. Hasn’t our air quality been improving? A. Even though air quality in the Charlotte metro area has improved somewhat over the last decade, ozone levels are still too high to meet the federal healthbased standard set in 1997. Research continues to show strong correlations between dirty air and respiratory and cardiovascular disease, thus standards continue to become more stringent. The EPA adopted a new ozone standard in 2008 and the Obama Administration is considering strengthening the standard once again. This is a long-term problem that will take many years to address and one in which new approaches are needed.
A Good Start We currently have four different metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the region. A good start would be to combine these into one planning organization that links land use and transportation planning of the larger metropolitan area. We can’t continue to use geographical boundaries set up in the 1950’s to address growth demands of the 21st century.
Q. What can we do as a region to ensure healthy air for our residents over the long-term? A. With transportation emissions contributing over 50% to our ozone problem, a new approach to transportation policy is needed. For an economically and environmentally sustainable future, we must give up on the old notion that we can simply pave our way out of our problems by building more and more roads. The I-85/I-40 corridor between Charlotte and the Triangle is part of the emerging Piedmont Atlantic “mega-region,” the fastest growing region in the country. Leadership is needed now by all sectors to collaborate on regional growth and transportation planning so we can provide greater mobility options for residents which result in less air pollution.
To learn more about reforming state transportation policies, download the report: www.southernenvironment.org For more information, you may contact David Farren with the Southern Environmental Law Center at:
[email protected] or 919.967.1450
Q. What can individuals do to ensure state and local officials are taking a long-term approach for better air quality? A. There are a number of policy initiatives that individuals can advocate for at the local and state levels that promote increased use of public transit, bike and pedestrian options and reform of North Carolina’s outdated Highway Trust Fund law and Equity Formula. The state’s transportation policies have contributed to urban sprawl and congestion on our roadways. Getting involved with groups like Clean Air Carolina which are actively seeking public policy changes is an important way for citizens to play a role in improving air quality.
Diesel Campaign Secures Funding for School Bus Retrofits In partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) and Union County Public Schools (UCPS), CAC was successful in securing a $546,000 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant to reduce diesel emissions from school buses and fuel trucks. The funds will be used to install pollution control devices on school buses and will reduce soot and other toxic pollutants emitted from the tailpipe. Diesel exhaust contains fine particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and pose health risks, such as respiratory and heart disease. UCPS will retrofit 24 school buses with diesel particulate filters helping to reduce harmful diesel emissions by at least 85%. CMS will retrofit 47 school buses and 15 fuel trucks with diesel multi-stage filters to reduce harmful emissions by at least 55%. Both school systems have been regional leaders in “greening” their fleets. Collectively, the districts carried approximately 142,500 students to and from school every day last year and traveled nearly 165 million miles. Children riding the buses, school staff, and the community all benefit from the reduction of pollution.
Thank you to all our Diesel Campaign Partners! American Lung Assn. North Carolina Blue Ridge Enviro. Defense League Caldwell County Health Department Canary Coalition Clean Air Carolina Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance Clean Air Task Force Cleveland County Asthma Coalition Davidson County Asthma Coalition Environment North Carolina Environmental Defense Fund Mecklenburg County Asthma Coalition NC Asthma Program NC Conservation Network NC WARN Pitt County Pediatric Asthma Program Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Southern Environmental Law Center Union County Asthma Coalition Western NC Physicians for Social Responsibility
Remember the Rule… No Idling at School! Have you ever left your car idling for more than one minute while waiting to pick up your child from school or whi le s itti ng at a dr iv e- thr u window? Most of us have. And, most of us don’t realize the damage that can be done during those 60 short seconds. The truth is personal vehicles are the single biggest polluter in our region as emissions from thousands of cars and trucks add up. Idling is not only hard on the engine, wastes gas and your money - it is damaging to our region’s fragile air quality and to public health. Vehicle exhaust alone is harmful to human health but add summertime heat to the mixture and you’ve summed up another problem – ozone pollution. Ground-level ozone pollution is formed by a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides emitted from cars and trucks, sunlight and hot weather. Studies have shown children who grow up in smoggy cities have limited lung capacity as adults. As our region’s population increases and development spreads further from the center cities increasing vehicle miles traveled, it’s more critical than ever for individuals to take action and do their part. So the next time you pull into the carpool line or up to the drive-thru window, remember that every second you sit idle, you are contributing to Charlotte’s air quality problem and harming the young lungs around you. Turning off your engine is an easy and effective way to take action.
State Legislation Update The 2009 North Carolina legislative session has come to a close and several encouraging clean energy bills were passed. Special thanks to dedicated CAC volunteer and member, Rebecca Scroggins, for monitoring and reporting on clean energy and clean air legislation over the last six months. Incentives for Energy Conservation (H512) extends the renewable energy tax credit through 2016 and includes geothermal power. Revolving Loan Fund for Energy Improvements (H1389) authorizes cities and counties to raise money and establish loan programs for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements on citizen projects. Energy Savings Contracts Cap/Program Administration (S304) increases the amount the state may finance under guaranteed energy savings contracts from $100 million to $500 million. Various Localities Energy-Related Development Incentives (S52) authorizes a number of municipalities in the state to provide incentives in exchange for reductions in energy consumption. Studies Act of 2009 (H945) There were several important issues which did not get considered but are part of this Studies Act. Special thanks to Representative Ruth Samuelson of Charlotte who included for study by the Environmental Review Commission legislation that would reduce diesel emissions on state and federal construction projects. The Joint Legislative Utility Review Committee may study Feed In Rates (H1440) which would accelerate the expansion of solar energy in NC. Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act (H340) would have prohibited public utilities in NC from purchasing coal extracted from mountaintop removal but has been turned into a study bill.
NC SAVE$ ENERGY was expected to sail through the House Energy and Energy Efficiency committee, but a few representatives were swayed by utility companies who reportedly launched six, three-person teams of lobbyists on the committee and managed to flip at least four of the votes. Although the energy efficiency legislation had this initial setback, the bill is still alive and the NC SAVE$ lobby team plans to keep working. The team is gearing up for the 2010 legislative session which begins next May and will continue the push for real energy efficiency programs in North Carolina. A big thank you to all who supported the NC SAVE$ campaign this year. We will be sure to keep you posted on next steps. For more information visit: www.ncsavesenergy.org
Growing North Carolina’s Green Energy Economy
October 8th & 9th Charlotte Convention Center Thursday, October 8 @ 5:30pm Reception and Keynote Speaker: Amory Lovins Co-Founder, Rocky Mountain Institute
Friday, October 9 @ 8:30pm Keynote Speaker: John Morrison Assistant Secretary of Energy, NC Dept. of Commerce For more info and to register go to: www.ncsustainableenergy.org This event is co-sponsored by Clean Air Carolina
Americans Need a Stronger Climate Bill CAC has joined 300 other groups across the nation in signing onto a letter to Senator Barbara Boxer, Chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, calling for a profoundly stronger climate bill. With the recently passed House version of the federal climate bill, American Clean Energy and Security Act or ACES (H.R. 2454), the groups believe the cap on greenhouse gases is insufficient to stabilize our climate at levels called for by scientists around the world. The letter urges the Senate to draft a companion bill that provides the greenhouse gas reductions required to avert catastrophic climate impacts. Read the letter on our website at: www.cleanaircarolina.org. For more about the shortcomings of the legislation recently passed in the House see the various items posted on Dr. James Hansen’s website: www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/
Duke Energy Seeks 18% Rate Hike for Coal Plant Duke Energy wants to raise your electric bill by eighteen percent - that's nearly $200 a year! Even worse, 13.5% of the rate increase will cover costs such as the dirty Cliffside coal plant, now under construction west of Charlotte. And, 4.5% of the rate increase has already been approved for the rising costs of coal. While other utility companies are shutting coal plants down and cutting customer's power bills, Duke Energy wants to continue building its global warming machine at Cliffside and raise our rates to pay for it. North Carolina residents are ready to move ahead toward a clean energy future with renewable sources of power and real energy efficiency programs. If Duke Energy builds more coal plants, we'll suffer with more air pollution, more mercury in our waterways and fish, and more global warming.
Speak Up! The NC Utilities Commission is taking public comments to hear your thoughts on the proposed rate hike. A hearing was held in Charlotte on September 9 at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. Submit your comments to Commission Chair Ed Finley at
[email protected]. Visit www.stopcliffside.org for talking points to help you craft your letter.
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