Group Against Smog & Pollution

Yinz smell that?! That tell-tale stench of rotten eggs? You’re not smelling things: Concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (or H2S for short) are sky-high in and around the Mon Valley today. And you’re not alone in your suffering - social media and Carnegie Mellon University’s Smell Pittsburgh app lit up with complaints starting overnight Monday and continuing into the afternoon Tuesday: For the uninitiated: H2S is a toxic gas that occurs both naturally (from sources such as sw

A view of the new and improved EJ Mapping tool. Here’s some good news YEARS in the making, friends: The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released the final Environmental Justice (EJ) Policy - one that is expected to improve environmental safeguards in the Keystone State by enhancing opportunities for public participation and emphasizing proactive community engagement across. The document, which was last updated 20 years ago (!!!) will be used to guide

As the calendar year draws to a close, Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) wants to take a moment to send a huge, heartfelt thank you  to our incredible community of supporters. Because of your passion, dedication, and generous support, we’ve achieved some real breakthroughs this year in the fight for cleaner air and a healthier environment for all. We’ve rallied, we’ve educated, and we’ve stood up to protect our community.  We are so close to the end of the year, and as

GASP’s origin story prominently features strong women - mothers and matriarchs who organized in their living rooms, inviting their friends and neighbors into their homes to advocate for policies and protections to clean up our air. In its infancy (note: our inception was all the way back in 1969), GASP was truly a grassroots endeavor: We had no foundation support or grant funding to help fill our coffers.  So how did we raise money? Glad you asked: They sold cookbooks.  And t

Bad news to report today, friends. Here’s what’s going on: As you may recall, back in July, we blogged about the EPA’s   proposal to postpone compliance deadlines  in the revised National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for integrated iron and steel manufacturing facilities (the II&S NESHAPs), including U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock.  GASP also   spoke out against  the proposed postponement in September. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, EPA

Friends, we’re not gonna lie: We are absolutely abuzz over here in the GASP office! Why? Because you all showed up for us BIG on Giving Tuesday and we wanted to send out the loudest, most heartfelt THANK YOU to every single person who threw down a donation for clean air. While we're still tallying the final numbers, we can tell you something pretty amazing: We completely blew past our $1,500 goal!   Seriously, yinz are incredible! This outpouring of support reminds us of how

Trump’s EPA on Dec. 1 announced that it is taking final action on the agency's July 2025 Interim Final Rule to extend several compliance deadlines in the Biden-Harris Administration's Clean Air Act rules for the oil and gas industry – commonly known as OOOOb/c.  As we blogged back in August , the standards in Part OOOOb are New Source Performance Standards made under the authority of Section 111(b) of the Clean Air Act. The standards outlined in Part OOOOc apply to existing s

Giving Tuesday is a global movement that celebrates radical generosity. If you've been meaning to support the fight for a healthier Pittsburgh, now is the perfect moment.  Because we’ve got a truth bomb for you: Pittsburgh is one of the most beautiful and resilient cities in the country, but (and it’s a big but) the air quality challenges—especially in places like the Mon Valley—are still a serious daily reality.  When you wake up to that rotten-egg smell (Hydrogen Sulfide or

We find ourselves somewhat surprised to report that the federal government’s struggle against its own revised National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for coke ovens continues.  Quick background: The EPA promulgated the Revised Coke Oven NESHAPs in 2024.  Among other things, they required that coke oven operators monitor for benzene at their fencelines; imposed new limits on emissions of hazardous air pollutants from coke oven pushing, quenching, and battery s

The EPA on Nov. 20 published a   proposed rule  that would redesignate Allegheny County from “nonattainment” of the 2012 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter (the “2012 NAAQS for PM2.5”) to “attainment.”   EPA’s proposed rule is based on monitored air quality data that shows that all areas of the county attained the 2012 NAAQS for PM2.5 during the years 2018, 2019, and 2020.  The proposed rule also discusses more recent monitored air quality data,

The Board of Health on Wednesday approved revisions to Allegheny County Health Department’s portion of Pennsylvania’s State Implementation Plan (SIP). What is a SIP? Here’s how ACHD explains its website: When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes a new National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) or revises an existing standard, it sets in motion a series of actions aimed at ensuring that air quality throughout the country meets those standards. State Im

Allegheny County Council on Tuesday approved air quality permit fee increases long sought by the Allegheny County Health Department.

At long last, Allegheny County Council is poised to vote Nov. 18 on a long sought (and direly needed) air quality permit fee schedule that would fully fund the Allegheny County Health Department’s Air Quality Program. The news comes in the wake of Council’s Health and Human Services Committee meeting on Wednesday, when members recommended ACHD’s proposal be placed on the Nov. 18 agenda for a full vote. GASP will again be there to urge council to vote YES on ACHD’s original pr

Remember the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (otherwise known as RGGI)? We blogged a number of times  about Pennsylvania’s attempted entry into program. As a reminder: RGGI is a cap-and-trade system that a number of states in the northeastern United States participate in.   Under the system, large fossil-fuel fired electric generating units are required to purchase credits to allow their emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which they can trade. The idea? By gradually reduc

The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) has submitted comments on Cleveland Cliffs’ Monessen Coke Works draft Title V Operating permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The facility is a conventional coke plant producing coke and related carbon by-products and is located in Monessen along the Monongahela River.  The Monessen Coke Works facility includes two coke batteries, by-products recovery process plant, boiler operations plant,

The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) has submitted comments on Carlisle Construction’s draft Title V Operating permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). By way of background: Carlisle Construction is a manufacturer and supplier of building products for the commercial and residential construction markets. GASP's comments on the draft Title V Operating Permit focused on:    the need to include a requirement that emissions from the fa

GASP is thrilled to share a critical opportunity to elevate the conversation around environmental justice right here in our backyard - our friends at 412 Justice are co-hosting the National People's Hearing Tour later this month. This two-day public gathering slated for Nov. 21 and 22 at the Omni William Penn Hotel Downtown and will be centered on testimonies, community-driven solutions, and cultural celebration, inviting people from across the nation to share their experienc

A Connecticut engineering firm retained by U.S. Steel to investigate the deadly Aug. 11 explosion at its Clairton Coke Works facility today released preliminary findings. The firm, Engineering Design & Testing Corp., issued the following information on its website Thursday: The explosion took place in the 13-14 Coke Battery transfer area when an 18-inch cast iron valve ruptured, releasing flammable coke oven gas, which subsequently exploded. The valve was originally manufactu

Calling all Westmoreland County residents: The time to weigh in on the long-awaited Title V operating permit for the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station is NOW.   But how we got here and what’s in that permit will take a little bit of explaining…   How We Got Here   A couple of years ago, we blogged  about testing issues at the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station in South Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County. For the uninitiated: Tenaska is a 940-megawatt, natural

Fellow Breathers, some congratulations are in order: Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Director Dr. Iulia Vann has been named one of the de Beaumont Foundation's 40 Under 40 in Public Health - a national recognition honoring her exceptional leadership and enduring commitment to improving lives, advancing health equity, and transforming public health systems to serve all communities more effectively.  The de Beaumont Foundation announced the program's Class of 2025 tod

We need to start with a little science lesson so we can drive home an air quality issue that probably isn’t on your radar. The subject? Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are a family of chemicals used mostly in refrigerators and air conditioners.   For such uses, they have replaced chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were phased out worldwide by the so-called Montreal Protocol, an international agreement struck in 1989. CFCs damage the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects u