About
Clean Air Council is one of the oldest environmental advocacy organizations in the United States, working to protect everyone's right to a healthy environment. Headquartered in Philadelphia with additional offices in Wilmington, Delaware and Pittsburgh, the Council advocates on air quality, climate, industrial pollution, transportation, and watershed protection across Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Mission
Clean Air Council works to protect everyone's right to a healthy environment through advocacy on air quality, climate, industrial pollution, transportation, and watershed protection.
What they do
- Climate and energy: advocacy on power plants, clean energy, and decarbonization
- Industrial air pollution: work on oil and gas, petrochemicals, steelmaking, and hazardous waste
- Transportation: promoting electric vehicles, biking, and public transit
- Watershed protection: stream protection, toxic cleanup, and coalition building
- Other environmental initiatives, including plastics, indoor air quality, composting, and trails
History
The organization was created on August 30, 1967, as the Delaware Valley Citizens Council for Clean Air, founded by the region's 11 tuberculosis and health associations. By 1970 it had gained national attention as one of the top 12 conservation organizations in the nation deemed most worthy of public support. In 1975 it created AIRS, the region's pioneering air quality reporting system that was later adopted federally. In 1982 it successfully held Pennsylvania accountable in court for vehicle emissions inspection failures, and hosted its first Run for Clean Air, with 100 participants running 5 miles along Forbidden Drive; the run has become one of the region's longest-running charity races and its largest Earth Day celebration. The organization formally separated in 1991 from its founding organizations, which merged into the American Lung Association, and adopted its current name, Clean Air Council, in 1998. More recent legal work includes a 2016 victory in a SLAPP suit defending its advocacy and 2017 lawsuits against the EPA over methane rules and litigation concerning the Mariner East II pipeline.
Scale and impact
The Council operates from three offices, in Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Pittsburgh, with work spanning Pennsylvania and Delaware, including initiatives in transportation, energy, watershed protection, and environmental justice.
Financials
According to its IRS Form 990 data available via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EIN 23-1683461), for the fiscal year ending June 2023 Clean Air Council reported total revenue of 4,780,410 dollars, including 4,531,323 dollars in contributions and grants, and total functional expenses of 3,111,888 dollars.
Governance
Alex Bomstein, Esq. serves as Executive Director. Clean Air Council is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.