The Honorable Bruce Smith
East Wing Room 41A
Harrisburg, PA  17120-2020
FAX: (717) 783-8783

Dear Representative Smith,

I am writing to voice my support for House Bill No. 2825, "An act providing for
management of outdoor night lighting".

As an amateur astronomer, and past president of the 560 member Amateur
Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (AAAP), I easily see the degradation of
our night skies that has occurred since I was young.  The skies over the
Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory, the so-called "dark sky" site of the AAAP, are
currently no better than the skies were in the 1960s in New Kensington, where I
grew-up and still live.  Today's skies in New Kensington are a disaster.  For
example, in June, 1999, we had major storms pass through the Pittsburgh area.
The results were wide-spread electrical outages.  I remember going out to my
back yard that night and looking up at the surprisingly clear and dark skies.  I
could see the entire constellation of Hercules directly overhead, including its
dim arm and leg stars.  The next night the power was restored, and even though
we experienced our 2nd clear
night, only the brighter stars of Hercules' torso were visible.  The light
pollution had ruined the sky.

"So what", your opponents might say.  Well, ask them this.  If someone were to
call local police complaining of noise and loud music coming from a drunken
party, the police would quickly respond.  But if that same individual were to
call reporting bright lights penetrating into his backyard, preventing him from
using his telescope, the only response from the police would be their
uncontrollable laughter.  Is that fair?

John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher who lived during the 19th Century, once
wrote that everyone has a right to do whatever he wants...as long as it doesn't
interfere with the right of anyone else to do whatever he wants. Here then is
the philosophical backbone of your proposal.  No one should have the right to
remove the beauty of the night skies from the citizenry of this country.  In
fact, when one thinks of the many religions around the
world based upon the constellations and on the motions of the Moon (including
the beliefs of many Native Americans), our current practices of unrestricted
light pollution might be argued by some to be unconstitutional.  Please review
the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution:

     Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
     prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
     or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
     petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Could someone propose that the government's ignoring the free proliferation of
light pollution has indeed prevented the "free exercise thereof" religion?

On a more practical note, let's consider from a different approach the
tremendous amount of light that we throw up into the night sky.  Have you ever
seen a satellite photo of the U.S. at night?  Virtually the whole country can be
mapped from space by wasted light.  Wasted, because what is that light
accomplishing?  Absolutely nothing.  Some is going straight up from inefficient
light fixtures, other light seen from space is excessively strong light
reflected off parking lots, buildings, etc.  Efficient lighting would control
this useless scatter, and save the U.S. BILLIONS of dollars in electrical bills
each year.  Along with the reduction in the amount of power that it is necessary
to generate would be the reduction in pollution that our current level of power
consumption causes.  Can anyone argue against spending less money on electricity
and having cleaner air and water as a side benefit?

It is my sincere hope that your efforts are successful, and if there is anything
I can do to assist, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,



Terry N. Trees, Ph. D.

cc:   Melissa Hart
     Terry Van Horne