PennEnvironment Testimony on SEPTA-Roberts Complex Air Permit

Public Testimony for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Air Management Services’ Public Hearing regarding the renewal of the Synthetic Minor Operating Permit (SMOP) for the SEPTA-Roberts Complex

Flora Cardoni, PennEnvironment Field Director

7/27/23

Hello. My name is Flora Cardoni and I am the Field Director with PennEnvironment, the statewide, citizen-based, environmental advocacy nonprofit. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on behalf of thousands of our members, across the state and here in Philly, who are clamoring for real action to tackle the climate crisis.

The threat posed by climate change has never been more apparent. All you had to do was walk outside today, as Philly experienced yet another excessive heat watch in a string of record-breaking summer temperatures, or breathe the air a few weeks ago as much of the east coast was shrouded in smoke from the Canadian wildfires, to feel first hand that the climate is changing. And of course, much of Bucks county is still reeling from the catastrophic flooding triggered by extreme downpours that recently led to tragic loss of life. Unfortunately, these heat waves, fires, floods and other impacts will only get worse without real action. And we need to act now.

The science is clear that to stop the worst impacts of climate change, we need to stop burning fossil fuels, including so called “natural” gas, as quickly as possible, NOT extend their life. Ending our reliance on dirty, dangerous fossil fuels and moving towards a future powered with 100% clean, renewable energy will help lower global warming emissions, clean up our air, and protect our health.

SEPTA has an opportunity now to meet the moment of the climate crisis and protect community health at the same time. SEPTA should prioritize electrifying its facilities and powering its operations with clean renewable energy, like solar power, instead of digging deeper into dirty dangerous fossil fuels. At PennEnvironment, we echo residents’ calls to invest in solar arrays at the Nicetown plant and throughout the SEPTA service area, taking advantage of new federal funding opportunities. This should be part of a larger transition away from all fossil fuels, like fracked gas, towards an operation powered by 100% clean, renewable energy.

In the meantime, as the facility continues to burn fossil fuels, we join the calls for increased air monitoring and testing requirements at the facility to ensure that air pollution emitted from the facility is in compliance with its pollution permit limits at all times. 

There are mountains of data that show that air pollution has a litany of negative effects on our health, like respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, increased risk of dementia, and even premature death. 

But while we can’t choose whether or not to breathe the air, we can choose to work to make the air cleaner. AMS can help by lowering the levels of allowable pollution at the plant, mandating more frequent air monitoring and testing, and strictly enforcing clean air permits to make sure the facilities never exceed the legal limit (which is too high as it is).

No one should have to breathe polluted air just because of where they live. And none of us deserve to experience the devastation that the climate crisis is already causing. AMS and SEPTA should do everything in their power to move away from dirty fossil fuels towards a clean energy future, clean up our air, and protect our health, and our planet, for generations to come. Thank you