Trump’s view of Pittsburgh region outdated, some say
Donald Trump said the voters of Pittsburgh, unlike the citizens of Paris, don’t want to be bound by the climate accord signed in that city. Somehere disagree. “He is sadly misinformed if he thinks we are nostalgic for the smoky city days of the past,” said Rachel Filippini, executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution, one of Pittsburgh’s oldest environmental organizations. “The Pittsburghers I know want clean air and water, good jobs in a green economy, and a sustainable and healthy future for their children.”
Mr. Trump did get support from some elected officials in WesternPennsylvania.
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, RButler, called the president’s decision “a victory for our economy, our sovereignty, andour Constitution.”
“I have complete confidence in our country’s ability to protect both our economy and our environment at the same time, and I applaud President Trump’s strong commitment to this goal,” he said. “As elected leaders, the laws and policies we craft must reflect the needs of our constituents, not the demands of a global ideological trend.”
U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, RSewickley, similarly hailed the pullout, noting that the Paris agreement “was never a legitimate deal.”
“It was never submitted to the Senate for ratification becausethe Senate would never have ratified it,” Mr. Rothfus said. “The Paris agreement is not about climate. It is about control. It certainly is not about growth; it is about redistribution. ... I stand with Western Pennsylvania manufacturers, boilermakers, power plant workers, railroad workers, truckers and miners in opposition to the Washington and global elites who want to concentrate powerin their own hands.”
The battle lines were mostly drawn along party lines.
U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, DForest Hills, said Mr. Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement was “foolhardy,” showing that he doesn’t understand the science of climate change, its economic impacts, or the strides toward a greener economyunderway here.
“Times have changed, and so has Pittsburgh,” he said. “Our air and water quality have improved dramatically, and Pittsburgh is becoming a leader in carbon-free energy sources and energy-efficiency technologies. “
Gov. Tom Wolf said: “I am disappointed President Trump has chosen this path and abdicated America’s leadership role in the world on climate change. This decision hurts our economy and Pennsylvaniaresidents.”
Larry Schweiger, a sixthgeneration Pittsburgher and president and CEO of Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, a statewide environmental organization, also made the point that the president’s reading of what Pittsburgh and Pittsburghers want fails to take into account not only its recent greening but also its historic leadership in the battle for cleanair and water.
“The thing he’s missing here is that addressing the causes of climate pollution is not a job killer, it’s a job creator. Pittsburgh has always led the way on these issues, from smoke control to green energy, and to retreat into the dark days of the past just isn’t going to work. That’s not the PittsburghI know,” he said.
United Steelworkers International president Leo W. Gerard said the president’s decision to exit the climate agreement was “an inexcusable blowto the U.S. economy.”
He said the country has been a leader in innovation and technological advances to combat climate change and its withdrawal cedes leadership to China and is a signal to domestic technology and manufacturing industries that the U.S. governmentwon’t support them.
“The diplomatic and trade impacts of withdrawing will be felt for many years, as the United States joins the only two other countries who are not part of the agreement — Syria and Nicaragua,” he said, urging the president to reversehis decision.
If Mr. Gerard waits until next Thursday, he may be able to lobby for that reversal himself because Mr. Trump might attend a cookout at Jennerstown Speedway Complex to mark the opening of the new Acosta coal minein Somerset County.
“A big opening of a brand, new mine,” the president said Thursday while announcing his decision on the Paris pact. “It’s unheard of. For many, many years that hasn’t happened. They asked meif I’d go. I’m going to try.”
The new mine, an underground facility, will take advantage of the recent bright spot for metallurgical coal — the kind used in steel making. Run by Canonsburgbased Corsa Coal Corp., the mine promises to add 70 to 100 full-time jobs here.
Met coal, which is a small portion of all coal production in the U.S., has seen its price recover over the past year. While thermal coal from this region, which is burned in power plants, is selling for about $45 a short ton, met coal is fetching at least three timesas much.
Last year, Corsa sold half of its coal to domestic steel makers and the other half abroad. But in 2017, with the opening of Acosta, it projects that 85 percent of its output willbe shipped overseas.
In West Virginia, a state still heavily reliant on coal mining, Robert Duval, interim associate dean in West Virgina University’s Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership, said leaving the Paris agreement is the wrong move. The departure will likely result in scaled-back efforts to mitigate climate change, will impact the state’s ability to transition to a cleaner economy that is less reliant on coal.
“We will probably burn less and less of it over time, but I’ve been on the record for about 25 years saying that in order for policy makers to do what is right for West Virginia, they need to aid sectors of economies in terms of retraining, finding new industries to bring in and mitigating the circumstances, not trying to hold back the tide,” Mr. Duval said.