Replace Foster statue with a modern tribute

It is with great interest that I read about the recommendation to remove the Stephen Foster statue from the entrance to Schenley Park (“Art Board Recommends Removing Foster Statue,” Oct. 26). I am a distant relative of Mr. Foster. The Foster family has lived in the Pittsburgh area for centuries. Alexander Foster came to America sometime around 1730 and soon after moved to the Pittsburgh area. Direct descendants of Alexander have continuously lived in Pittsburgh since then, with my grandfather, Joseph Foster, leaving the area in the late 1930s.

As you probably know, Mr. Foster was very sympathetic to the plight of slaves in the South and thus it seems odd for the Foster statue to be lumped in with the current controversy stemming from Charlottesville, Va. Further, our family had many members who fought against the Confederacy in the Civil War, which makes the current situation even more perplexing.

Overall, I do agree that the depiction of an African-American banjo player is questionable and, thus, removal of this statue is likely warranted. However, I do hope that it can be replaced with a modern statue of Stephen Foster that rightfully champions him as a hero of Pittsburgh and the father of American music. I fear the controversy will unfairly tarnish his legacy as well as the honor of his relatives who fought to end slavery on the battlefield. DAVID B. LOWRY East Lansing, Mich. effort to attack clean water protections that will impact Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh. This amendment will allow oil and gas wastewater plants to continue discharging over 50 million gallons a year of drilling wastewater into the Allegheny River watershed, the source of drinking water for Pittsburgh and many others.

This could unfortunately be only the tip of a very dirty iceberg as oil and gas lobbyists earned their overtime this week attaching hundreds of amendments to the severance tax bill that was considered by the state House. In a brazen attempt to write its own rules, the oil and gas industry was hoping to get new loopholes from clean water and clean air protections in exchange for paying a tax it already pays in every other state. While the House set aside the severance tax for now, this bill, with its toxic amendments, is likely to be back later this year.

Can we figure out how to pay for educating our children without denying their rights to clean water and clean air? Only if we have some leaders in our state Legislature and the governor’s office who can stand up to the oil and gas industry and look out for Pennsylvania. Voters are looking for leaders who bring the public the independent oversight we all deserve. MYRON ARNOWITT Pennsylvania Director Clean Water Action

Downtown

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of noxious air from Sept. 29, 2016, and Sept. 5, 2017, smells allegedly emanating from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Works.

These noxious smells are just the tip of the iceberg of longterm air quality violations in the Mon Valley and their effect on health. (See a report at heinz.org, “Asthma in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Current Information and Future Directions.”) Small particulates lodge deeper in the lungs and cause the most damage to lung health.

Such violations and damage to the health of Allegheny County residents have gone on far too long without ACHD levying and collecting significant fines to enforce the law.

The work being done to combat youth asthma and excessive school absences that result from this pollution is at best only a Band-Aid on a much larger and years-long pervasive problem. At what point is continued violation something that will be enforced?

This dirty little secret most certainly was not included in Allegheny County’s proposal to Amazon. We’d better just hope that if we make the final round and Amazon executives come to town, it is not another night and morning of noxious smells and high particulate emissions. RUTH FAUMAN-FICHMAN

Squirrel Hill