Pennsylvania
Member of the Month
Deb Evans, Mon Valley
Because of its rivers and accessibility, the Mon Valley has long been known as a center of large industry, manufacturing, and power production in the Pittsburgh area. Today, the Valley is still home to power plants, chemical companies, and the largest coke-making facility in the world.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2001, the seven largest companies in the Mon Valley emitted over 2.4 million pounds of toxic chemicals into the air. Two-thirds came from the Clairton Coke Works, and another quarter of the air pollution was concentrated in Elrama, at the Reliant Power Plant, and Eastman Chemical.
These toxic chemicals raised serious public health concerns with organizers at Clean Water Action, and prompted the formation of the group, Residents for A Clean and Healthy Mon Valley, or REACH Mon Valley.
Our member of the month, Deb Evans, lives with her family in Elrama, nearly in the shadow of the Reliant Energy smoke stack. Here is what Deb has to say about how and why she became involved in the REACH Mon Valley group, working to make her community a safer place to live:
"I am a stay at home mom raising three small children. I have lived in Elrama for 5 1/2 years. I became involved with cleaning up my community by attending a REACH Mon Valley meeting. I was frustrated and angry about the particulates from the nearby power plant that covered my house and my children's outdoor toys everyday. The pollution and subsequent dust that is left behind concerned me and I felt that I needed to get involved for the health and safety of my family, friends, and neighbors.
I have tried to raise community awareness by talking to newspaper and television reporters, writing letters, making phone calls, and sending pictures of the pollution to the DEP. I helped host a press conference in my backyard to let our community voice their concerns and raise awareness of the problem that we have with this particular power plant. I even wrote a letter urging the DEP to take more action against this power plant and give us a public hearing before granting the plant it's operating/pollution permit for the upcoming term.
While I am still new at getting involved, I do hope to continue to be an advocate for my family and community. In the future, I would like to devote more time to this cause and learn more about what I can do help fight the pollution problem in this area."
Deb is an example and an inspiration to all people living in communities like Elrama. We applaud her for her involvement and dedication to making her community a healthier place to live.
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