Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette

Scott Bricker, executive director for Bike Pittsburgh, addresses a crowd at the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette

Kaitlynn Riely / The Pittsburgh Press
A group composed of anti-pollution advocates, athletes and outdoor enthusiasts gathered on the South Side today to urge the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its annual and daily air quality standards.

“Pittsburgh, while its air quality has improved greatly over the last few decades, still has some of the dirtiest air in the nation,” said Jamin Bogi, education and outreach coordinator for local non-profit Group Against Smog and Pollution. “So we have so much to gain from a very strong standard.”

The Pittsburgh group called for the EPA to set an annual standard of 11 micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter and a daily standard of 25 micrograms per cubic meter, a level speakers said would better protect people who work or exercise outside from the health effects of air pollution.

The news conference — which took place beside the Three Rivers Heritage Trail and featured representatives from outdoor groups including Bike Pittsburgh, Venture Outdoors and Girls on the Run — comes one month after the EPA already proposed strengthening the soot standards.

Read the full article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Get ready for BikeFest, a fifteen-day celebration of bicycling, August 5th-19th. The activities kick off with Pedal Pittsburgh on August 5th’ which includes a car-free section and a finish line festival. On August 10th the Bike Fest Party returns to the Pittsburgh Opera in the Strip District.