The Road Ahead

 

Dear Clean Air Council supporters and friends:

All elections have consequences and it appears to me that this election is even more impactful than others.

In the months and years ahead, it will become ever more important to make your voice heard on the issues you and I care about. The challenges that the Clean Air Council will face over the next 4 years are sure to be great. But, they were always going to be great. The Council works in a field where there is always a new mountain to climb, a new challenge to meet, or a new law to tackle head-on.

Non-profits, like the Council, are mission focused and have learned to find a path forward regardless of the odds. We persevere. Our mission, to protect everyone’s right to a healthy environment is separate from the world of electoral politics. We fight for what is right, for what is fair and just. Advocacy, community organizing and suing the government to do the right thing has always been our strategy. The Council has in the last few months gathered thousands of comments in favor of best-in-the-nation methane regulations in Pennsylvania. The Council has gathered an equally impressive amount of comments in support of the Clean Power Plan. But we have also backed up this outreach with community-based organizing and lawsuits.

This new specter of anti-environmentalism arriving in January will prompt my staff and I to work harder than ever before to ensure that Pennsylvanians are able to breathe clean air. For 49 years, we have risen to each and every challenge presented to us, from the time before there was an EPA to now when the world is more aware of climate issues than ever before. Our success is directly due to the unending support we have had through the years from our members and activists. You give me hope.

I sincerely hope that the country will not turn its back on the tremendous progress we have made in the last few years, but, if necessary, the Council will pivot to defend these accomplishments. We will continue to work at the local, state and federal levels to accomplish our goals no matter who is at the helm of our country.

You are our strength and, in the coming weeks and months, I welcome your thoughts and opinions as the Council evolves to meet this new set of challenges.

Remember two things are true, “No matter what happens, the sun will continue to rise in the morning” and the Council will continue to fight to improve environmental health.

Sincerely,

Joseph Otis Minott, Esq.
Executive Director