Full at http://blog.cheapmotelsandahotplate.org/2011/07/26/burn-baby-burn/ "Every time we visit Pennsylvania, we notice the air pollution. According to a recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pennsylvania’s air is the second most toxic in the nation. Much of the pollution comes from coal and oil-fired power plants in Pennsylvania and nearby states, but there are other sources as well. The coal trucks that rumble noisily through towns as they make their way from strip mines to power plants spew noxious smoke. The fly ash (the residue from the coal burned at the power plants) often hauled by these same trucks may also pollute the air. Now the widespread Marcellus shale natural gas drilling generates one more source of air contamination, both from truck traffic and the compressor stations that move the gas. And, there is still plenty of damage done by other industries. Drive along any of Pittsburgh’s famous three rivers, and you will see plants spewing smoke from their stacks. . . ."