Letter to the editor: Invenergy plant a threat to Great Allegheny Passage

I am a resident of West Newton, home of the Great Allegheny Passage and the Lower Youghiogheny River, which was placed on the American Rivers advocacy group’s most endangered rivers list in 2020.

The permitting of the Invenergy power plant in Elizabeth Township is a three-layered threat to the Great Allegheny Passage, my region, and its residents’ health, by means of the negative impact trilogy — the threat of tainting my river, polluting my air and diminishing revenue from tourism.

Per the Pennsylvania Constitution, Article 1, Section 27, I fully have the right to clean air and water.

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) must protect people’s right to life-sustaining health standards. Please abide by these standards by not permitting Invenergy’s industrial development, based on the fact that our region currently has Grade F air quality.

At an environmental justice meeting, ACHD stated that Invenergy is “meeting the qualifications” of the permit requirements. This statement clearly does not consider our valley’s poor air quality. The hypocrisy is that you are to protect us from making poor health-related decisions, yet you consider the addition of highly toxic chemicals to our air and water permissible.

ACHD, please, as a public health department, defend our region’s constitutional right to clean air and water. Don’t sacrifice our health at the expense of this polluting industry, with minimal job creation.

For citizens interested in providing public testimony regarding the permitting of Invenergy, register for the June 8 meeting at bit.ly/InvenergyHearing.

Nancy Ivan

West Newton