By Karen Melton, Southeastern Pennsylvania Group
Recently the Philadelphia Inquirer published an op-ed by Joe Minott, Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council, calling out Amtrak for its plan to dig up portions of the existing heating system at William H. Grey III 30th Street Station and install new onsite gas-fired boilers. The station is currently serviced by a steam loop that heats many buildings throughout Center City. The Sustainability Officer for Vicinity Energy, which operates the steam loop, states that they have already taken steps to transition to cleaner energy, and plan to become fossil-fuel free in the future. Nevertheless, Amtrak plans to replace much of the existing steam heating system with new fossil fuel infrastructure.
I had the opportunity to interview Joe about what he has learned and here is some of our conversation.
Amtrak has a whole website about the multi-year renovation of 30th Street Station, but there is no mention of building new gas infrastructure -- how would people find out about that?
Joe: It was reported in the Inquirer, but it’s not something Amtrak is talking about, and certainly not something PGW talks about. At the same time PGW (Philadelphia Gas Works) is under pressure to begin planning for a future that is not dependent on fossil fuels, and contrary to the city’s commitment to decarbonize by 2050, PGW has been trying to pick off major steam loop customers and convince them to build new fossil fuel infrastructure. A contract with the National Park Service that is also being kept quiet would involve digging up the steam loop for 20 different buildings in Independence National Historical Park and installing new gas-fired boilers. We were able to get some details about the project only after filing open records requests.
Why aren’t details about these plans public? Why did you need to file open records requests?
Joe: Amtrak is not subject to the Open Meetings Act. Even though its board is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and it receives significant funding from Congress, Amtrak is not required to operate in the transparent manner that is the norm for public agencies and other transportation authorities. Everything is done behind closed doors, so unfortunately the public must file open records requests to find out what Amtrak is doing.
But didn’t they do any analysis of different options for the heating system?
Joe: We have not been able to find out if Amtrak had any engineering studies done. The National Park Service however, asked PGW to do a study of whether a new gas-fired system was the best option and, guess what, PGW said that it was. We haven’t been able to see that study, but as far as we know the National Park Service did not consider other options, such as staying on the steam loop or electrifying its heating system.
You said the Amtrak board is appointed by the President -- shouldn’t Amtrak be trying to achieve emissions reductions based on Biden’s goals and directives, especially given Biden’s long-standing support for Amtrak.
Joe: You would think so, but it turns out Biden has only just nominated members to the board recently (April 2022) and they haven’t been confirmed yet by the Senate. The good news is that several nominees are from right here in the busy Northeast Amtrak train corridor, so we hope to be able to talk to them. For example, he renominated the current board chair Anthony Coscia who is from New Jersey, and new members nominated include Rev. Samuel Lathem from Wilmington, DE, and Robin Wiessmann from Pennsylvania. We hope they will share the President’s goals.
In addition to the increased greenhouse gas emissions this project will cause, won’t it also cause increased air pollution in the surrounding neighborhoods?
Joe: Yes, neighborhoods such as Belmont and Mantua as well as the Drexel and Penn campuses will all be subjected to increased air pollution. Children in Philadelphia already suffer from asthma at two times the national rate, so the Amtrak and the National Park Service plans are contrary to Biden’s directives on both climate change and environmental justice.
What should happen at this point?
Joe: What should have happened in the first place – both Amtrak and the National Park Service should have studies performed to determine how best to heat their facilities. Those studies should consider the potential impacts on climate change and public health, and the results should be shared with the public. Amtrak and the National Park Service should then allow for meaningful public input before making a final decision.
Last question – why would Amtrak tell you it’s too late to change their plans. How hard can it be to keep a heating system you already have?
Joe: Good question. As far as I can tell, Amtrak, the National Park Service, and PGW are all hoping these projects won’t garner too much attention. At a time when the country is experiencing so many impacts of fossil-fueled climate change -- historic droughts, heat, water shortages, wildfires and floods to name a few -- it’s pretty hard to explain why some of Philadelphia’s most iconic buildings should convert to new fossil-fuel powered heating systems. It’s especially frustrating because all of the entities involved are essentially publicly controlled and claim to be committed to fighting climate change and serving the public interest.
This blog was included as part of the September 2022 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!