When more than 100 physicians in Cumberland County, PA, published a warning statement about the high levels of diesel particulate matter in the air, Rev. Jennifer McKenna called to find out what they were going to do about it. Upon learning they had no plans to act, she spurred her congregation at Second Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, PA, to advocacy. Together, they formed the Clean Air Board of Central Pennsylvania, an interfaith, non-profit organization. 

At the heart of the pollution problem is a contaminant called PM 2.5, according to McKenna. “PM 2.5 is one of the worst contaminants known to human beings. It is very small and gets into the deep recesses of the lungs,” she said. She noted that children who are exposed to the contaminant never develop their lungs to full capacity. Asthma, heart disease, and certain types of cancer are also linked to exposure to PM 2.5.

The group explored what it could do about the problem and decided to work for an anti-idling regulation. Despite laws in surrounding states against idling, the town had up to 3,000 trucks idling non-stop at any given time. With the leadership of McKenna, the Clean Air Board wrote anti-idling legislation that has been accepted by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and is now going through the process of passing the legislation into law. In addition, it convinced the DEP to expand the air-monitoring program in the town. As they lobby for the legislation, Clean Air Board members continue to raise community awareness and seek input from residents, educators, health professionals, government, and industry.