Tuesday, April 10, 2007
7:00 p.m. – Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
“Continuing the Conversation”
All are welcome to stay for The Clarke Forum’s student led follow-up discussion immediately following the presentation.
Philip Carey, M.D., pulmonary specialist
Thomas Au, environmental attorney
Colonel (Ret.) Paul J. Cunningham, Clean Air Board
Omar Shute, executive director, Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation
Jesse Keen, vice president, Keen Transport, Inc.
R. Russell Shunk, executive vice president of College/Community Development at Dickinson College, Moderator
Issue in Context
Since human occupation, the Cumberland Valley has been a crossroads of commerce, trade, and travel. American Indians traversed trails through the region, along waterways and over mountains. People crossing these waterways and mountains now rely on the area’s heavy network of interstate highways. A vast logistics industry provides jobs in an economy that continues to lose manufacturing and farming. The trucks that drive through campus on Route 11 are just a slice of this network, and local air quality has diminished because of the diesel fuel emissions. A recent study by the American Lung Association indicated that the Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon area has the 24th most polluted air in the nation, a factor that affects health and quality of life.
The panel for this event brings together local experts on the various aspects of the issue to examine the facts and discuss what can be done by citizens groups, educational institutions, health providers, government, and business to balance the economic, environmental, health, and quality of life issues raised by the air we breathe.
About the Speaker
Dr. Phillip Carey is a pulmonary specialist who serves on the Clean Air Board (CAB). He graduated from Case Western Reserve University.
Thomas Au, an environmental attorney, has advised several citizen groups, including the Pennsylvania Sierra Club and CAB. Au formerly worked for the Department of Environmental Protection. He received his B.A. from Kenyon College and his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Colonel (Ret.) Paul J. Cunningham is active in local municipal issues concerning air quality, development, and responsible government.
Omar Shute is the executive director of the Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation. Shute also serves as a board member of the Cumberland County Industrial Development Authority and works with the area Chambers of Commerce. Omar holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing from Pennsylvania State University.
Jesse Keen is vice president of Keen Transport, Inc., the largest hauler and logistics distributor of construction equipment in the U.S. and is an advisor to CAB. He has also served as president of the Central Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association.
R. Russell Shunk is executive vice president of College and Community Development. He received a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and a master’s degree from Lehigh University.
Related Links
American Lung Association State of the Air 2006
Clean Air Board of Central PA
PennFuture: PA Citizens Concerned with the Environment
Initiatives to Reduce Truck Idling
Action taken in PA Congress on air pollution