Attend the First Major Anti-Petro Rally in Pittsburgh!

You may have been to small press conferences or meetings or tiny protests against the Shell Cracker and related petrochemical build-out in Southwestern PA (and into OH and WV), but on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., we will raise our game to a new level: PennFuture and the Breathe Project will be anchoring a major press conference and rally in Pittsburgh designed to counter narrative that the petrochemical build-out is a done deal. Our health and our climate simply cannot tolerate it. Organizers are working to make sure that there will be press and cameras at the event, and I am personally planning to attend and film it.

If you want to publicly register your opposition to the Shell petro plant and all that it stands for, this is the perfect place to do so. Make and bring signs. Bring and make friends. Take an early lunch break. Show up. We need to make sure that Shell knows that they are not welcome here. We need to make sure that our politicians know that supporting the petro-build out is a bad idea on so many levels that they claim to support. Details below. And find reference material helpful for poster-making here: https://nopetropa.wordpress.com/about/ . Find and share the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/178118929446654/.

In solidarity,
Mark Dixon

P.S. I say “First Major Anti-Petro” rally knowing full well that MANY amazing people have protested against fracking and pipelines and drilling and so much more. To my knowledge, this is the first time that we’ll be protesting the ENTIRE petrochemical build-out–particularly the Shell ethane cracker plant. All with with full knowledge that we’re standing on the shoulders of some very dedicated activists.

P.P.S. Here is the PennFuture announcement about the event:

Join Toxic Neighbor Press Conference Jan. 30

PennFuture will hold a press conference at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 30 outside of Governor Tom Wolf’s Pittsburgh office to deliver a petition signed by more than 3,000 citizens who have joined the Toxic Neighbor Campaign to voice their concerns about the negative health impacts of the petrochemical industry in the Pittsburgh region.

Concerned Pennsylvanians will discuss how elected officials provided a $1.65 billion tax break for Shell Global’s cracker plant, which is currently being built in Beaver County, and also will discuss the importance of paving an alternative energy path that involves investment in clean energy solutions like wind and solar energy. The petition is also being delivered to a list of business leaders and elected officials. The full list can be found at www.toxicneighbor.org. 

The Toxic Neighbor Campaign kicked off in October 2017 to hold elected officials and business leaders accountable for their support of dirty energy and big polluters, including U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works and Shell Global’s cracker plant.

Speakers will include:

·         Larry J. Schweiger, President Emeritus, PennFuture
·         Matthew Mehalik, Executive Director, Breathe Project
·         Peggy Fried, resident of Squirrel Hill and member of Clean Air Council
·         Joanne Martin, resident of Beaver County and a founder of ReImagine Beaver

WHERE: 301 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15222 (sidewalk outside Gov. Tom Wolf’s Pittsburgh office). [In the event of extreme weather, the presser will be held at PennFuture’s office: 200 First Avenue, STE 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. An email will be sent to you that morning and it will be announced on social media if this is the case.]

WHEN: 11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 30

Visit www.toxicneighbor.org for more information. We hope to see you there!