PSR PA News & Blogs
Nothing 'green' about Nacero Plant
Barbara Bramdon, MD and Tonyehn Verkitus

The proposed methane-to-gasoline refinery is a false solution to our need to reduce greenhouse gasses. Nacero’s plan does not account for all the environmental costs of continuing to frack for gas or for the costs of transporting “renewable” methane.

It is to be expected that the lion’s share of methane for the Nacero refinery will be from new fracking wells. These wells remove water forever from the hydrologic cycle, produce large volumes of toxic waste for which there are inadequate plans for disposal and spill methane into the atmosphere. These methane emissions are not accounted for in the permitted releases from the proposed refinery.

When the Nacero gasoline is burned it will inevitably add carbon dioxide and other pollutants to the air.

As was recently dramatically shown by the collapse of a bridge on a county road in Pittsburgh, there is a great need for construction work throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Rebuilding bridges is done by local union laborers. Many groups are reclaiming former coal sites, turning them into productive lands, green space and retail and office places . Old mines do not have to be covered up by industrial parks that produce and release harmful emissions which will compromise the health of area residents.
A soybean field lies in front of a natural gas drilling rig Sept. 8, 2012 in Fairfield Township, Pennsylvania. Credit: Getty Images
For the First Time, a Harvard Study Links Air Pollution From Fracking to Early Deaths Among Nearby Residents

PSR PA Board Chair, Ned Ketyer, is quoted in this article from Inside Climate News about a new study out of Harvard which links fracking with early deaths of senior citizens.

What can I do?
Minimizing your personal footprint
Waste Not, Want Not
Sidney N. Kahn, MD, PhD

Topic I: Energy Conservation

The scale and range of human activities that harm the environment and human health are vast, and many of the most damaging require political, economic, and structural changes at levels ranging from local to global, so how can any individual make a meaningful contribution?

One positive action concerned individuals can take is to make their voices heard by local, regional, and national political and business leaders and demand they support practices that contribute to the environmental well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants, which may even enhance (or at least not compromise) their own interests overall. Well-informed, credible, authoritative individuals and organizations, especially those such as health professionals and PSR PA, with their focus on human health, can have an outsize influence on societal leaders.

At the level of daily living, individual choices and actions can substantially alter the carbon footprint of households and workplaces. This column will illustrate how personal life style choices and actions individuals can adopt in their daily lives, however minor, can in aggregate create meaningful reductions in energy consumption and waste generation.

Upcoming PSR PA Events
Fossil Fuel Companies' Increasing Use of Trade Agreements to Attack Climate Initiatives - and How We Stop Them
When: March 11th at 1 PM
Where: Register Here

The increasing use of such trade attacks is serious threat to climate policy, but we have an opportunity now to eliminate this threat altogether. Please join the Executive Director of the Trade Justice Education Fund for a quick briefing on this topic and easy ways you can help make a difference.
PAST EVENTS:

Waste Coal and Cryptocurrency in PA
Climate Change and Health:
Indicators and Pathways

This virtual, half-day conference will focus on mental health and wellbeing, climate migration and populations of concern, and social and health inequities. This event will be held on April 15, 2022 from 12:00 - 4:30 p.m. Register here.
Other Events
CeaseFirePA April 26th Advocacy Day in Harrisburg
TOP-LEVEL ACTION ITEMS & RESOURCES
What PSR PA Supports
Have questions or suggestions for PSR PA? Email us at info@psrpa.org.