For Planning Purposes
Thursday, February 22
CONTACT: Prerna Jagadeesh, pjagadeesh@greennewdealnetwork.org, 508-455-8275
National ‘Green New Deal for the People’ tour will stop in Pittsburgh and feature Rep. Summer Lee rallying alongside PA activists for investments in climate, care, jobs, and environmental justice
The tour stop is hosted by national coalition Green New Deal Network and co-hosted by PA groups including Sunrise Pittsburgh, PA United, One PA, Breathe Project, Food & Water Watch, Women for a Healthy Environment, Upsteam PGH, IPAA Food Forestry Arts and Culture.
Pittsburgh, PA — The National ‘Green New Deal for the People’ tour will stop in Pittsburgh this Thursday for a rally featuring remarks by Rep. Summer Lee and local & state activists about the urgency of federal Green New Deal investments to clean up pollution in working-class PA cities and towns, create green union jobs, and redress the illnesses and health conditions that residents of PA Environmental Justice communities are suffering as a result of pollution and climate impacts.
Speakers at the tour stop, which is hosted by national climate justice coalition Green New Deal Network, will include Rep. Summer Lee and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. The Green New Deal for the People Tour is bringing together state and local elected officials, climate activists, environmental justice leaders, union representatives, Members of Congress, and community members in states across the nation to fight for Green New Deal investments including a commitment from President Biden and Congressional Democratic leadership to winning 90% of the funding that was cut out of the Build Back Better Act and an additional $1 trillion over the course of the next 4 years for GND-style policies.
Previous tour stops took place in Michigan, Illinois, and Georgia, where Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Chuy Garcia, and Delia Ramirez spoke alongside union reps and community leaders about the need for additional federal climate investment aligned with a Green New Deal framework of building up the public sector and including guardrails for jobs and justice.
RALLY DEMANDS:
- Invest in Pennsylvania – the federal government must invest billions of dollars in climate justice and green jobs to protect our communities from the climate crisis
- Oil & Gas Well Cleanup – All abandoned oil and gas wells on Allegheny County-owned land must be identified, plugged, and monitored using funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and by creating good union jobs.
- Redress for Increased Maternal Mortality in Environmental Justice Communities – Pennsylvania ranks 24th for its maternal mortality rate, with Black women three to four times more likely to die after giving birth. The state legislature must address health disparities for Black mothers by passing Gov. Shapiro’s $2.6 million maternal programming allocation in the 2024-2025 budget to expand studies on maternal mortality prevention strategies.
- Urban & Rural Food Forestry Development – Create Urban and Rural Food Forestry Development aligned with Indigenous land stewardship traditions to mitigate stormwater runoff, create soil remediation, provide sustainable food security, and improve air quality by reducing emissions and ozone pollution.
- Water Purification – Implementation of a city and urban incentives plan including water catchment gutter systems and rainwater barrels to decrease water runoff to prevent overflow in sewage systems and decrease pollution of lands, streams, and rivers.
WHO: Green New Deal Network, Sunrise Pittsburgh, PA United, One PA, Breathe Project, Food & Water Watch, Women for a Healthy Environment, Upstream PGH, IPAA Food Forestry Arts and Culture.
Speakers:
- Rep. Summer Lee, PA-12
- Sara Innamorato, Allegheny County Executive
- Chief Pomaj-chakmam-yajalaji of Grand Ynga of The Onkwehonwe Nation; Founder of Cultural Oasis Indigenous Apothecary Healing Space, and IPAA Food Forestry Arts and Culture and Chief of Medicine member of The Iroquois Confederacy of Aborigine American People
- Vanessa Lynch, Executive Director of Moms Clean Air Force
- [More to be announced]
WHAT: Green New Deal for the People Tour Stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
WHEN:
Thursday, February 22
Speaking program: 2-3pm
WHERE: Oval Tent @ Schenley Plaza: 4100 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh PA, 15260
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About the Green New Deal Network
The Green New Deal Network is the hub of the GND, bringing together frontline communities, labor organizers, and climate activists from all across the country to drive massive public investments towards a Green New Deal at all scales of government. The Green New Deal Network is a national campaign with an expansive network of member organizations and a governing table of steering committee members: Climate Justice Alliance, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, The Movement for Black Lives, People’s Action, Sunrise Movement, Working Families Party, and US Climate Action Network.