Pollution getting worse, says Hill clean air expert

By KARA DADDARIO

When I step outside and take a breath of air, I seldom think about who maintains the quality of that air. Joe Minott, executive director of the Clean Air Council and part time educator of environmental policy at the University of Pennsylvania, constantly thinks about just that — making sure that the air we breathe is of the highest quality. Minott works tirelessly to manage the staff at the Clean Air Council, fundraise for the nonprofit organization and handle the legal matters concerning air quality and often the government.

Minott, a Chestnut Hill resident and father of Chris Minott and stepfather to John Wells, was not always involved with the Clean Air Council. Son of a U.S. diplomat, Minott lived in both Africa and Europe before graduating from Chestnut Hill Academy in 1972. He later attended the University of Pennsylvania to study political science; and Villanova Law School. For some time Minott owned a landscaping business that he eventually gave up when he began working for the Clean Air Council.

“While at Villanova I only applied to social change organizations. The position at the Clean Air Council was offered to two other women who, because of lack of benefits, low pay and long hours, passed it on to me. I said sure!” said Minott. With this proposition in 1982, Minott became the staff attorney for the Clean Air Council and later, in 1992, became the executive director for the organization.

The Clean Air Council is the oldest and largest environmental health group in Pennsylvania. According to their Web site, the Clean Air Council is “a member-supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone’s right to breathe clean air. The Council works through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws.”

Despite the admirable goals of the Clean Air Council, Minott explains, “The most disheartening thing to see is a national level of abandonment of a consensus to have clean air. After Nixon there was a consensus of how we should deal with clean air; it was not affiliated with the Democratic or Republican parties; just a consensus to clean up the environment. Now there is a move away from that decision.”

On a local level, Minott explains that Pennsylvania’s contribution to air pollution lies in “too many people driving too many places” when they could take public transportation. “SEPTA is great,” said Minott, “but it needs funding. Recently SEPTA had to close down lines; that deters the consumer. Our number one legislative priority is to have the Rendell administration pour money into SEPTA.”

Although Pennsylvania is contributing to its own decline in air quality by not taking advantage of public transportation, it is at the forefront of clean air technology. The last few years have been spent trying to bring green energy to Pennsylvania by offering the consumer various options for energy purchase. “The latest accomplishment for the Clean Air Council has been getting PECO to sell wind energy to residential consumers. We are really hoping that people will invest the extra $5 a month to have green energy. They can sign up via the Clean Air Council Web site.

“What people do not realize much of the time is that green energy has no visible impact on consumer. They can still flick on a switch and have light. This is because there is something called a PJM, a pool of energy that stores all the energy created for Pennsylvania. What we are working toward is making sure that more and more of that energy is wind and solar energy and less and less is coal. But, in theory, the quality of the energy is the same and completely unnoticed by the consumer. It is important to realize that there is no switch in accessibility to the consumer, yet PECO is doing something great for the environment.”

Locally there are many things consumers can do to help clean up the environment; however, on a national level much more must be done. “Most of us environmentalists were surprised at Bush’s anti-environmental stance,” said Minott. “We have been scrambling to counteract it. Bush is clearly out-of-touch with the average American’s desire (for a clean environment). The public has been very sympathetic to our cause, and our membership has increased.”

The Clean Air Council Web site, www.cleanair.org, suggests a number of ways people can help the environment. “The Clean Air Council has played a role improving air quality, but there is still a lot to be done. The most important thing people can do is purchase wind energy and improve indoor air quality by not smoking in public places. I would also hope they think about the environment when they vote.”