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Blog Against Smog

May 17, 2022

U.S. Steel to Pay $1.5M Penalty, Make Improvements to Settle Air Pollution Violations at Edgar Thoms

BIG NEWS: U.S. Steel will pay a $1.5 million penalty and make extensive improvements at its Edgar Thomson facility in Braddock Borough as part of a settlement announced Tuesday with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) for longstanding air pollution violations. The consent decree addresses numerous Clean Air Act violations dating back to 2016 at the Edgar Thomson Works. The one-mile radius around the facility is an area o

GASP to ACHD: Revised Coke Oven Regs Must Better Protect Community from H2S, Other Air Pollutants

May 12, 2022

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GASP to ACHD: Revised Coke Oven Regs Must Better Protect Community from H2S, Other Air Pollutants

GASP joined residents and fellow clean air advocates at a public hearing in Clairton Wednesday night to tell the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) that its revised coke oven regulations must do more to protect the community from emissions emanating from U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works operations. In his testimony, GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell would have homed in on the Mon Valley’s hydrogen sulfide (H2S) problem and encouraged health officials to take advant

Allegheny County Health Department Seeks Comment on Annual Air Monitoring Network Plan, GASP Reviewi

May 10, 2022

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Allegheny County Health Department Seeks Comment on Annual Air Monitoring Network Plan, GASP Reviewi

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Tuesday announced that it is seeking written public comment on its draft 2023 Air Monitoring Network Plan, an annual report that provides a detailed description of how and where air pollution is monitored in Allegheny County. Little background: Air Monitoring Network Plans are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They provide the specific location of each monitoring station, siting criteria, monitoring me

Allegheny County Board of Health Greenlights $30K Clean Air Fund Request for Air Pollution Health Im

May 6, 2022

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Allegheny County Board of Health Greenlights $30K Clean Air Fund Request for Air Pollution Health Im

The Allegheny County Board of Health on Wednesday unanimously voted to approve a $30,000 Clean Air Fund request to finance the development of a research study to measure the impact of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and other airborne pollutants on the health of Allegheny County residents. Partners in the study include Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, and the University of Pittsburgh. The funding application noted the need for and importance of t

No Surprise: U.S. Steel Appeals Allegheny County Health Department $1.8M Enforcement Order Over H2S

Apr 18, 2022

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No Surprise: U.S. Steel Appeals Allegheny County Health Department $1.8M Enforcement Order Over H2S

As expected, the infamously-litigious U.S. Steel Corp. has appealed a March 7 Allegheny County Health Department enforcement order for illegal hydrogen sulfide emissions from its Clairton Coke Works. In the 23-page appeal filed April 5 and posted to the ACHD website this weekend, the company asks an Allegheny County hearing officer to vacate the order and the $1.8 million fine that came along with it. U.S. Steel used the usual appeal argument: That ACHD “abused its discretion

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Clean Air Fund ‘Planning Framework,’ U.S. Steel’s Request, and an H2S Stu

Apr 12, 2022

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Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Clean Air Fund ‘Planning Framework,’ U.S. Steel’s Request, and an H2S Stu

Allegheny County Health Department leaders on Monday night proposed a long-term “spending framework” for its Clean Air Fund, saying that “considerable challenges lay ahead” that will require a more strategic approach to how that money is spent. As if ripped from the pages of a drama class textbook, the discussion that ensued over this and other matters related to the Clean Air Fund had the set-up, confrontation, and resolution of a classic three-act drama. Air Pollution Contr

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Air Quality Monitors on the Move, but Costs & Benefits Remain Unclear

Apr 7, 2022

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Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Air Quality Monitors on the Move, but Costs & Benefits Remain Unclear

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Tuesday announced its intention to relocate the Air Quality Program’s primary air pollution monitoring facilities from Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood to the City’s North Side in 2023. \ The move highlights the best of the Air Quality Program but also leaves questions unanswered about transparency and decision-making in county leadership. The “best” was on display Tuesday morning in a technical presentation of what will go

Allegheny County Health Dept. Announces Approval of Re-Submitted Mon Valley Air Pollution Episiode P

Apr 1, 2022

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Allegheny County Health Dept. Announces Approval of Re-Submitted Mon Valley Air Pollution Episiode P

The Allegheny County Health Department has reviewed and approved six amended air emissions mitigation plans for those sources which were initially rejected, according to a press release issued Friday afternoon. The plans from pollution sources are required under the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule and outline what steps the source will take to reduce its emissions during any episode. Here’s what the release said: “This is another important step to protect the health and

ACHD Issues Fine for Open Burning, Orders Renovations at Brewery to Cease & Issues Warning to S

Mar 29, 2022

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ACHD Issues Fine for Open Burning, Orders Renovations at Brewery to Cease & Issues Warning to S

The $4.6 million fine Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) issued against U.S. Steel for more than 800 air quality violations last week made headlines but it wasn’t the only enforcement action taken against local air polluters. ACHD’s enforcement docket shows the department also took several actions related to asbestos violations. Here are the companies ACHD put on notice: IDR LLC and Watts Construction Co. for violations of the county’s asbestos-related air quality regu

BREAKING: U.S. Steel Fined $4.6 Million for 831 Uncontrolled Push Violations at Clairton Coke Works,

Mar 24, 2022

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BREAKING: U.S. Steel Fined $4.6 Million for 831 Uncontrolled Push Violations at Clairton Coke Works,

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Thursday announced in a press release that it has imposed more than $4.5 million in penalties against U.S. Steel for 831 uncontrolled push violations at its Clairton Coke Works facility. The violations occurred between Jan. 1, 2020, and March 15, 2022. Here’s what the release said: “Pushing is the operation of unloading, or “pushing,” finished coke from the oven into a traveling hot car to be transported and cooled. To contain

EPA Finalizes Its “Clean Data” Determination for 2012 Annual PM2.5 Standard for Allegheny County

Mar 17, 2022

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EPA Finalizes Its “Clean Data” Determination for 2012 Annual PM2.5 Standard for Allegheny County

In Wednesday’s Federal Register, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its finalized determination that Allegheny County has attained the 2012 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The determination is “based on three years of certified, complete, and valid ambient air monitoring data between 2018 and 2020.” “The annual 2012 NAAQS for PM2.5 is 15 micrograms per cubic meter. To attain the standard, the three-year

Air Quality Exceedances Abound This Week at Allegheny County Health Department’s Liberty Monitor

Mar 15, 2022

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Air Quality Exceedances Abound This Week at Allegheny County Health Department’s Liberty Monitor

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Tuesday morning issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning for Tuesday and all of Wednesday. That, of course, meant that the rolling 24-hour average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) level at ACHD’s air quality monitor in Liberty borough exceeded the federal health-based standard *and* that ACHD is confident poor air quality is likely to continue. For those who might need a refresher on the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule, chec

UPDATED: Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues $1.8 Million Fine Against U.S. Steel for H2S Emissions

Mar 7, 2022

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UPDATED: Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues $1.8 Million Fine Against U.S. Steel for H2S Emissions

Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department issued the following news release Monday morning. The release followed GASP’s publication of a blog highlighting a recent report that places the blame for years of hydrogen sulfide exceedances “entirely” on U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility. Check back, we are following this issue closely and will update you when more information becomes available. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that

<UPDATED> No More Excuses for U.S. Steel: ACHD Finds Clairton Coke Works “Entirely” Responsibl

Mar 7, 2022

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<UPDATED> No More Excuses for U.S. Steel: ACHD Finds Clairton Coke Works “Entirely” Responsibl

Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department today in a press release announced that it has fined U.S. Steel more than $1.8 million for H2S violations. You can read all about that on our blog. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) last week published a comprehensive study analyzing potential sources of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that have been driving exceedances of the Pennsylvania 24-hour average H2S standard at its air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. The 3

GASP to Allegheny County Board of Health: Leverage Your Authority & Demand More From ACHD

Mar 2, 2022

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GASP to Allegheny County Board of Health: Leverage Your Authority & Demand More From ACHD

The Allegheny County Board of Health meeting’s public comment period Wednesday was dominated by residents who expressed their concern over various air quality issues, with some speaking out about recent bad-air episodes while others addressed the draft operating permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, as well as a lack of information from the Air Quality Program regarding recent regulation changes. GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell was among those in attendance, t

GASP to Allegheny County Health Department: Don’t Squander This Opportunity to Improve Air Quality i

Feb 23, 2022

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GASP to Allegheny County Health Department: Don’t Squander This Opportunity to Improve Air Quality i

GASP on Tuesday joined residents and fellow air quality advocates to provide input on the draft Title V operating permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility, telling the Allegheny County Health Department not to squander the opportunity to help improve public health (and quality of life) in the Mon Valley. Residents from several municipalities in and around the Clairton facility – which has been operating under a Title V permit that expired back in 2016 – presented

<UPDATED> More H2S Exceedances at Liberty, Mon Valley Residents Report Stench

Feb 22, 2022

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<UPDATED> More H2S Exceedances at Liberty, Mon Valley Residents Report Stench

Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 10:35 a.m. Feb. 23 to include an updated H2S chart. Users of CMU CreateLab’s crowd-sourcing app SmellPG reported the usual odors – saying the pungent air that seeped in through their windows last night and this morning was reminiscent of rotten eggs. Some said it was a strong sulfur smell. Others called it “industrial.” The possible culprit could be the elevated concentrations of hydrogen sulfide that have pervaded the Mon Valley Monday

Unhealthy Air, Stench Return as Mon Valley Sees 5th H2S Exceedance of Year, GASP Calls for Answers

Feb 17, 2022

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Unhealthy Air, Stench Return as Mon Valley Sees 5th H2S Exceedance of Year, GASP Calls for Answers

Wednesday marked the fifth time so far this year that levels of hydrogen sulfide (AKA H2S, an air pollutant distinguished by its rotten-egg odor) exceeded the state’s 24-hour average standard at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. Preliminary data also show that while concentrations of H2S were also elevated at ACHD’s air quality monitor in North Braddock, the 24-hour average was close to – but just short of – an exceedance. Local resi

Mon Valley Air Pollution Mitigation Plans Now Available on Allegheny Co. Health Department Website

Feb 8, 2022

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Mon Valley Air Pollution Mitigation Plans Now Available on Allegheny Co. Health Department Website

GASP just last week called on ACHD to make the documents public so that residents could see for themselves how the polluters in their neighborhoods plan to deal reduce particulate matter emissions during short-term air pollution events. “We want to thank Allegheny County Health Department for making these plans available for public consumption,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “Transparency is paramount when it comes to accountability.” Here’s what ACHD tweeted

Allegheny Co Health Dept. Issues Notice of Applicability, Tells it to Submit Mitigation Plan

Feb 7, 2022

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Allegheny Co Health Dept. Issues Notice of Applicability, Tells it to Submit Mitigation Plan

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has issued a notice of applicability to Magnus Productions, telling the company that it must comply with the recently approved Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rules. Here’s what happened: ACHD on Jan. 27 issued an amended permit to the company for the operation of the former Braddock Recovery facility at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson plant, making it subject to the new rules. The company has until April 27 to submit plans – one for

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