Former PA politician warns EPA rollback could worsen poor air quality

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, trapping more than 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide. Roughly 30% of current global warming is linked to methane released by human activities, including leaks from oil and gas operations. (Adobe Stock)

By Public News Service

March 12, 2026

By Danielle Smith

A former politician living in the Mon Valley says the region’s already poor air quality could worsen after the Environmental Protection Agency revoked the Endangerment Finding, a key legal finding for regulating air pollution.Federal data show the United States saw $27 billion in climate disasters in 2024.

Fred Quinn III, a former Swissvale Borough council member with asthma, said Mon Valley residents already face serious air quality issues, even during winter storms. Without scientific restraints on the industry, he said, more communities will suffer.

“Rolling back these EPA protections would just lead to increased emissions,” he said, “and it would lead to poor air quality overall.”

Environmental advocates argue the change comes at a time when climate impacts are intensifying nationwide. Quinn said the Endangerment Finding, first established in 2009, determined that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane threaten public health. That determination provided the legal authority for federal regulators to limit climate pollution from major sectors, including vehicles, power plants and industrial facilities.

Over the past several years, communities across the country have faced increasingly severe flooding, hurricanes, drought and extreme heat. Quinn said he saw those impacts firsthand during severe storms in Allegheny County last April. He said he toured the damaged neighborhoods with Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, witnessing firsthand the widespread impact of the severe storms.

“That’s probably one of the strongest storms I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. “Just seeing things like that, and the damages and the cost that come along with that, I just see a slippery slope where a lot of people, especially people in the Mon Valley who are middle to low-income people, they won’t be able to afford not having these protections in place.”

Quinn cited the value of collaboration among local leaders, residents and community organizations – such as 412 Justice and Tree Pittsburgh – to address environmental challenges. He said coordinated efforts across various levels of government and the community can lead to more effective and lasting solutions for environmental health and justice.