‘Fridays With Fitzpatrick’ Rally Takes Environmental Focus

The sixth “Fridays with Fitzpatrick” rally took on a different focus than previous rallies held in front of the freshman congressman’s Middletown office.

The rallies have usually been about healthcare or the hot topic of the week, but the most recent one focused on the environment and pushing moderate Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick towards voting to protect the planet.

“Brian Fitzpatrick doesn’t actively fight for our environmental values.”  said Steve Cickay of Newtown. “He has set the bar incredibly low to fool his constituents that he is an environmentalist and that is deceptive and wrong. We deserve better. We want someone who will fight passionately for clean air, clean water, and clean energy and against the ugly Trump environmental agenda. We will continue to hold him accountable until we get better.”

A number of speakers talked on different issues. Patricia McCarron, a representative from the Clean Air and Water Council spoke about opposing the Elcon facility proposed for Falls Township and how Bucks county residents concerned about the potential hazardous waste processing operation can get involved in the fight against it. She explained that residents can sign the Clean Air and Water Council petition to oppose the facility at cleanairandwatercouncil.com.

Fitzpatrick voiced his concern about the Elcon proposal during a pre-election interview with LevittownNow.com last year. “I’m very concerned about it. I think it’s a mistake to have a waste treatment facility so close to the river that supplies drinking water,” he said at the time.

Steve Bacher, a local representative of 350.org spoke about the need to switch to a clean energy economy. “We really need to have a renewable energy economy,” Bacher stated, urging the crowd to attend the upcoming climate change and science marches.

“Think of every election, federal or otherwise, as a chance to elect like minded people and really send a strong message,” Bacher explained to a modest crowd outside the building where congressman’s office is located.

Mike Doyle, a representative for the Bucks Environmental Action Group, spoke and educated the attendees on the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, or REINS Act. The REINS Act would make it so that any new major regulation by any federal department would need to be approved by Congress within 70 days. Doyle argued that this time frame does not allow enough time and would essentially kill all regulation. Fitzpatrick voted “yes” on the act in January of this year.

As usual with Fridays with Fitzpatrick, the rally ended with constituents going to Fitzpatrick’s office five at a time to deliver letters and petitions with their intentions.