Cleaning Up Dirty

Myths & Unfulfilled Promises of Dirty Industry

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:30:00 -0000

Joanne Kilgour, environmental lawyer and Executive Director of the Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI), joins hosts Liz and Sean to unpack myths of dirty industry. Joanne discusses ORVI’s research and data about the health and environmental harms caused by fossil fuel and petrochemical facilities, as well as how they fail to deliver investments they promise communities. She also breaks down how companies use “greenwashing” to downplay environmental damage. As always, we leave listeners with why we’re hopeful and how we can take action in service of our constitutional right to breathe clean air. And Liz ups her pickle snack game to mess with Sean.

Learn more about Clean Air Action at CleanAirActionFund.org

Clean air is a basic human right, not a privilege. When it comes to your right to breathe healthy air, Clean Air Action fights dirty with clean, advocating for policies that protect public health and promote a sustainable economy through legislation.

🧠 Learn more about Clean Air Action → bit.ly/CleanAirActionFund 📧 Stay informed on the latest. Subscribe to email → bit.ly/StayInformed_CleanAirAction 🌍 Donate to Clean Air Action and let us do the dirty work for you → givebutter.com/caaf

📣 Follow Clean Air Action on: Instagram →instagram.com/cleanairaction/ Facebook → facebook.com/CleanAirAction LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/clean-air-action Twitter → x.com/CleanAirAction YouTube → youtube.com/@cleanairactionfund2132

How Data Centers Increase Your Electric Bill

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:41:00 -0000

Alex Bomstein, Executive Director of Clean Air Council, joins Liz and Sean to talk economic and environmental impacts of data centers and the fossil fuel industry. We discuss public policy, quality of life––and what “progress” looks like. Alex leaves listeners with a hopeful message about #PeoplePower and small impactful actions we can all take now. And of course, there are snacks!

Learn more about Clean Air Action at CleanAirActionFund.org

Was This Election a Blue Wave?

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 21:30:00 -0000

Liz and Sean discuss this cycle's election results and whether this was a "blue wave" as some are saying. We highlight where Pennsylvania voters stood up and said no to federal agendas and other attempted interference in our state and local matters, and what this may mean for the 2026 midterms. We also give a "smidge" of a recap of other notable outcomes across the country.

When Did Clean Air Become Political?

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:00:00 -0000

Liz & Sean discuss what environmentalism is and who is an environmentalist. They talk about trends in Republican and Democratic party politics, such as the manipulation of messaging to frame environmentalism as exclusively for liberals. Can’t environmentalism be for everyone who wants to breathe clean air and pay less? An over reliance on dirty energy costs more, significantly pollutes our air, land and water, and leads to higher taxes. They also discuss how Governor Shapiro plans to respond to Pennsylvania's rising energy crisis. C’mon and join the joyride to a cleaner, safer and cheaper electric grid!

Happy Warriors Fighting for Progress (Not Power)

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:04:00 -0000

Liz, Sean, and Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton are happy warriors with hope during tough times. We talk local, state, and federal politics while eating an astonishing variety of snacks. The Speaker reveals her secret to solving problems and creating change — spoiler alert: it's working together — and explains why she focuses more on progress and less on what divides us. Liz admits the podcast was largely inspired by her experiences in government, and applauds the Speaker for her steady work toward making politics safe for women.

TheresHopeYall #KeepFighting

Are We Living in a Real Life Veep Episode?

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 18:00:00 -0000

In this episode of Cleaning Up Dirty, Reid Scott—star of Veep, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Law & Order—tells Liz & Sean about his unlikely rise to fame, and his first stint as a campaign manager in high school where he learned how people power disruption and authenticity are effective tools against unjust authority. Reid puts his dad hat on and compares governance styles to helicopter parenting. We discuss how the political pendulum has swung too far for the right AND the left, and how we might restore sanity in America. Spoiler alert: it may involve reaching across the aisle and talking to each other like people.

TheresHopeYall #KeepFighting

Political Realities with Senator Nikil Saval

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:00:56 -0000

In this episode of Cleaning Up Dirty, Senator Nikil Saval tells Liz & Sean about his journey from a journalist with no plan to run for office to unseating a 10+ year incumbent, then passing bipartisan legislation in a purple state. We discuss whether Bernie Sanders would have beaten Trump in 2016, the Harrisburg Shrug and partisan politics—especially given the influence of the fossil fuel industry in PA—and how to kindle our patented ‘reckless optimism.’

We also talk building community to spark little fires, particularly in labor organizing — and even shout out UAW, since Liz helped found UAW’s local Defenders Union 5502.

TheresHopeYall #KeepFighting

Fighting for the People

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 18:02:00 -0000

Attorney General candidate Eugene DePasquale tells us about the heat he got by pushing for financial accountability in government when he was Auditor General, and why he's running for AG -- spoiler alert: He's "not just here to clean your air." (But that's one reason!) In his audit of the state agency responsible for protecting our constitutional right to breathe clean air, he found they failed to protect us from the fossil fuels industry, so he forced the state to hire 64 more people to better protect Pennsylvanians. Plus he tells a deeply personal story about Reproductive Health that motivates his public interest work. We are so proud to endorse him––especially because he knows what football fans and Lord of the Rings fans can agree on: "There's always hope" and "you can't unhug Jerry Jones."

WTF America: How did we get here?

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 14:10:00 -0000

In an episode that turned into a political therapy session, Sean gives an overview of American history that led to mass distrust of government and disappointment with presidential candidates. As Sean puts Liz on the spot to unpack her skepticism, we talk bias and human nature. Are our systems inherently flawed? Is this just “politics, baby!”? Are there bad people? Since nothing changes if nothing changes, we break down what is interfering with American ideals being available to #WeThePeople — and what brought Liz to finally feel “little sparks of hope” in America again.

Plus Liz can’t help but fall in love with @RitzCrackers. Please sponsor our podcast.

@BrassAgainst @cryingdaycarechoir @TempleLaw

CleaningUpDirty #LittleSparksOfHope #WhenWeFightWeWin

The Veep Candidates

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 16:05:00 -0000

Liz & Sean talk about trends like Americans’ growing desire for authenticity and relatability in politics, give a little DNC recap, and assess the VP candidates’ environmental records in a state and national context. We also discuss tensions between corporations and regulations, and where people power comes into play. Plus we get hype about the hopeful energy of your favorite teacher and coach running for VP!

CleaningUpDirty #TheresHopeYall #WhenWeFightWeWin

Kamala: Bringing Hope Back to Politics

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 20:11:00 -0000

In the wake of the political earthquake of Kamala becoming a presidential candidate, Liz and Sean discuss trends in politics over the last 20 years, like the evolution of expectations for women in politics and disillusionment leading to a craving for fun and authenticity from candidates. We break down what finally got us excited about Kamala and the relief of having better energy in politics again — which is even stirring a bit of a “we the people reclamation.”

Working Together to Amp Up Business Investment and Renewables Growth in PA

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:10:00 -0000

Executive Director of Critical Investments & Chair of PENNVEST Brian Regli tells us about his switch from Republican to Democrat, why socialism is not the answer, and what government does well. We discuss the importance of stepping away from echo chambers like the national media so we can hold nuance, prioritize practical over performative, and work with the other side on common local action.

Brian also tells us how Governor Shapiro is bringing hundreds of millions in federal clean energy investments into Pennsylvania via President Biden's IRA & IIJA climate and business legislation—which fuels state and local progress, and #CleaningUpDirty cohost Sean helped pass! We also discuss how Pennsylvania taxpayers shoulder burdens from polluting corporations that even Texans don’t, and how the proposed PRESS & PACER legislation will help lower utility bills and protect public health.

Recovering Politician: Is It Easy Being Green? (Part 2)

Mon, 20 May 2024 20:39:00 -0000

In this final episode in our two-part series with Heather McTeer Toney, we continue discussing the movement of love focusing on environmental and racial justice. ~Spoiler alert~ we need EVERYBODY, including government officials, to reach across party lines to respond to the needs of the People. 39% of Americans live within 3 miles of a petrochemical facility, and hazardous incidents occur every 4 DAYS! We need to elect a government that can protect its people, not sell their health to corporations. And in our own backyard, we absolutely cannot let PA become the next Cancer Alley!!

And if that’s not heavy enough, we even get biblical in this episode—woe to those who make unjust laws.

Recovering Politician: Is It Easy Being Green? (Part 1)

Fri, 10 May 2024 18:05:33 -0000

"Recovering Politician" Heather McTeer Toney joined us to talk about her experiences as an Obama administration official, Executive Director of Beyond Petrochemicals, and the youngest Mayor of Greenville, MI -- and the 1st Black Mayor, and the 1st female Mayor! She discusses the importance of moving from talk to action and how environmentalism intersects with criminal justice reform, education, food scarcity, housing, and other critical issues. This is a movement of love, for EVERYBODY, and we can reach people where they're at by leaning on wisdom from their lived experience.

Don't miss Part 2!

Is Bucks America's Swing County?

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 21:29:00 -0000

PA House of Representatives Candidate Eleanor Breslin explains threats against public education, reproductive rights, and PA public officials' legal duty to protect the environment. We talk Moms For Liberty, extremism, why we're seeing more 1776 bumper stickers around these days, and Eleanor's work as Tinicum Township Supervisor trying to protect her taxpayers from increasingly extreme weather conditions.

Real Defenders of Democracy (Part 2)

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:19:00 -0000

Our guests Danny Ceisler & Lauren Otero discuss “democrazy,” voters’ shrug, and they answer: Is America one of the best in the world for civil rights and civil liberties, in our “heterogeneous as hell” country? 3 public interest lawyers tell us we get the government we deserve and discuss building a government that works for 327 million Americans, the role of the military in protecting our civil rights, and encourage our generation to step up and take the reins — without committing treason.

Learn how to get dark money out of politics, how to combat misinformation (spoiler alert: Do more than read headlines!), how political candidates recover from losing an election, and how to work together rather than against people on the same side as you: “The best conversationalist is a good listener.”

Real Defenders of Democracy (Part 1)

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 17:45:00 -0000

In this two-parter, we sit down with badass public interest lawyers Danny Ceisler & Lauren Otero to talk about their military deployments abroad and to DC, including after January 6. Things heat up, shots get fired, and a warhead gets launched.

Don't miss Part 2!

Fighting Corruption and Corporate Greed with Joe Khan

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:00:00 -0000

Joe Khan's decades-long commitment to holding dirty politicians and corporations accountable makes him the best choice for PA's next Attorney General. Plus he's a cool dad who watches The Bear and listens to the Foo Fighters.