Spielman Statement on the Environment:
First of all mercury is a known central nervous system toxin. Coal generating power plants produce 1/3 of all mercury emissions in our environment throughout the US. We need to protect our environment for our families and our future. Indiana County and Pennsylvania have done a wonderful job in cleaning up our environment. We need to make sure we maintain our environmental standards. As your legislator, I would take action to provide funding opportunities for our power plants for the installation of scrubbers. If we can fund professional sports stadiums, we should be willing to help fund scrubbers to protect our families. Not only would these scrubbers reduce mercury emissions, but they would also create good jobs – jobs for producing, installing and maintaining these scrubbers.
I also want to mention the iron pyrite in Heilwood and how our elected officials didn’t take an active role in preventing this potential tragedy from occurring with the exception of one, the late Bernie Smith. It would have only taken a phone call from a legislator to prevent this from happening. Instead it took the community, Governor’s office and Commissioner Smith to stop the transportation of this substance into our community. The citizens of Indiana County need someone who will stand up for them when issues like this arise again. And if elected, I will be your legislator, someone who will fight for you and on your behalf.