Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
20 October 2005

Contact: Maxine Centala
541-563-3651

SUBJECT: CLEAN AIR GROUP TO HOST OSU ENVIRONMENTAL SPEAKERS

Environmental staff from Oregon State University’s Technical Outreach Service for Communities will address the second meeting of Concerned Citizens for Clean Air (CCCA), a local group formed recently to fight air pollution on the central Oregon Coast.  The meeting will be held Thursday, October 27, 6-8 pm in Room 30/32 of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in South Beach.

Speakers Michael Fernandez and Jerry Orlando will address the group from 7-8 pm about pulp mill emissions and answer questions about technical aspects of the Georgia-Pacific Title V air pollution permit, which is the subject of an extended public comment period that closes November 4. Fernandez received his M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.  Orlando holds a M.S. in Technology and Human Affairs from Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science. Their presentation will be preceded by a CCCA business meeting at 6 pm.

“I’m pleased that we were able to get people with good technical backgrounds and knowledge of environmental issues to address our group,” said CCCA co-founder Diana Purdy.  “It promises to be a very informative evening, since Michael and Jerry have a talent for explaining complex information in ways that ordinary people can understand.”

CCCA held their inaugural meeting on September 22 of this year, when 19 people met at the Newport Visual Arts Center to discuss their concerns about possible health effects of local emissions and what actions could be taken to improve air quality.  The group adopted a mission statement and members volunteered to work on one of six committees: Political Advocacy, Technical/Business Information, Health Effects, Outreach, Fundraising, and Administration.

“I was pleased at the amount of interest in local air quality and the active discussion from diverse members of the community,” said Dawn Grafe of Toledo. “We envision this organization to be active in a myriad of air quality issues for a long time to come.”

“The public is becoming more aware of the effects of air pollution on health, especially children’s health,” said Purdy. “We will explore these and other issues in the future.”

For information about the meeting location, contact Grafe at 336-1128.  To inquire about membership or future activities, contact Purdy at 563-6672.