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Nov 18, 2021

Abysmal Air Quality Returns to Mon Valley as Three More H2S Exceedances Noted

The likely culprit? Another day with sky-high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (called H2S for short, an air pollutant known by its telltale rotten-egg odor) at the Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitors in both Liberty and North Braddock boroughs. Adding to the discomfort, levels of fine particulate pollution were elevated throughout the day, with AirNow.gov showing NowCast AQI values for the Liberty-Clairton as high as 152 – which the EPA classifies as

Oct 25, 2021

UPDATED: Mon Valley Experiences Another Air Quality Exceedance, GASP Asks Allegheny Co. Health Dept.

By 9 a.m. Monday, concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) were so high at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in North Braddock Borough that an exceedance of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average was already guaranteed. That makes 15 exceedances of the state standard so far this year at that site for H2S, which has a tell-tale rotten egg odor those in the Mon Valley (and folks downwind of it) endure all too often. For those keeping track, there have also been 3

Oct 21, 2021

Allegheny County Health Department to Hearing Officer: Deny U.S. Steel Request to Kill New Coke Oven

UPDATE: U.S. Steel filed a reply brief on Oct. 22. You can read it on the Allegheny County Health Department legal docket. The Allegheny County Health Department was clear in its response to a U.S. Steel legal brief asking a hearing officer to determine that proposed rulemaking regarding coke oven battery emissions does not comply with a high-profile, controversial settlement agreement: The company’s request for relief should be DENIED. Before we get too much more in detail a

Sep 29, 2021

Pitt World History Center, GASP Team Up for 3-Part Podcast About U.S. Steel Extraction History Here

Vintage photographs like these capture the way intense smog blotted out the sun on all-too-many Pittsburgh mornings. Members of GASP (and those who follow us) have heard plenty about the ways in which regional air quality has been impacted by industrial bad actors like U.S. Steel and its Mon Valley Works facilities. As an air quality watchdog group from way back (1969, to be exact), GASP has been witness to decades of drama between the steel-making giant and the government ag

Aug 23, 2021

Smoke & Flames at Edgar Thomson Plant, More H2S Exceedances Punctuate Need for Public Update

GASP’s resident smoke reader and longtime project manager Sue Seppi snapped into action, reviewing Breathe Cam footage of the facility, noting that thick black smoke and flames were visible around 10:15 a.m. that Thursday, Aug. 19. Then on Saturday and Tuesday, the Mon Valley experienced two more exceedances of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour standard of 0.005 ppm for hydrogen sulfide (AKA H2S, also known by its pungent rotten-egg odor). That makes 35 such exceedance at the Liberty mo

Aug 3, 2021

It’s Been Nearly 4 Years EPA, Public Deserves Transparency, Action Regarding Edgar Thomson Emissions

A reddish-brown plume of smoke that streamed out of U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson plant in June 2020 prompted air quality complaints and outcry from residents and environmental groups alike. The incident did not, however, spur a notice of violation or other enforcement action from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). Or at least any that has been made public. Let us explain. While ACHD did issue an NOV to U.S. Steel regarding exceedances of emissions limits at the plan

Jul 27, 2021

The Mon Valley Stinks (Literally): Sky-High H2S Concentrations Cause Air Quality Exceedances

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 9:25 a.m. on Thursday, July 29 to include additional information about an air quality exceedance that occurred on Wednesday, July 28. The associated chart was also updated to reflect the new data. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitors in Liberty and North Braddock boroughs were sky-high Tuesday morning – so high that by 10 a.m. exceedances of the state’s 24-hour average standard we

Jul 14, 2021

Board of Health Green Lights Episodic Weather Regulations for Mon Valley, Next Stop Allegheny County

Preceding the BOH vote was a special meeting of the Allegheny County Air Advisory Committee earlier this week, where minor language tweaks were presented and Air Quality Chief Jayme Graham told members: The Mon Valley Episodic Weather regulation garnered more than 400 comments – all but two of which were in favor of the new rules. The committee – which includes GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini – voted unanimously to recommend approval of the new rules. The regulation

Jun 29, 2021

More Air Quality Exceedances for Mon Valley, Allegheny County on Pace to Exceed 2017 H2S Numbers

That makes 29 exceedances of the H2S standard in the past six months at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty borough. Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas recognizable by its rotten egg odor. To put those numbers into perspective: There were just 25 exceedances in all of 2020 and 36 in 2019. “We are now on pace for 59 exceedances this year, which would equal 2017’s total,” GASP staff attorney Ned Mulcahy explained. “It’s difficult to understate h

Jun 9, 2021

UPDATED: Allegheny County Health Department Announces Penalties Against U.S. Steel

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Wednesday issued a press release regarding a demand for stipulated penalties it issued on June 4 against U.S. Steel in the amount of $201,500. You can read the enforcement action here. Check back, we will update this blog with reactions and links to associated news stories. The Allegheny County Health Department issued $201,500 worth of stipulated penalties against U.S. Steel for Article XXI Air Pollution Control violations and

Jun 7, 2021

More Unhealthy Air Quality, Exceedances Pervade Mon Valley – Update on H2S Problem Needed

The colorless gas is most commonly recognized by its “rotten egg” odor and concentrations exceeded the Pennsylvania 24-hour average standard of 0.005 ppm on both Saturday (0.007 ppm) and Sunday (0.009 ppm) at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty borough. “There have been 24 H2S exceedances so far this year at Liberty. That’s only one less than in all of 2020, but it’s also worth noting that the first exceedance in 2021 at that monitor didn’t occ

Jun 3, 2021

What You Need to Know About Allegheny County’s Draft Episodic Weather Regulations & How to Make

Editor’s Note: The public comment period for Allegheny County’s draft episodic weather regulations is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit comments! We will continue to follow the issue – check back for updates. A proposed change to Allegheny County’s Air Pollution Control Regulations aims to reduce particulate matter pollution in the Mon Valley during periods of stagnant weather patterns often a factor in poor air quality as well as exceedances of st

May 20, 2021

Watchdog Report: Annual Analysis on State of the Title V Air Quality Permit Backlog

A cornerstone of GASP’s clean air advocacy is watchdog work. We keep a close eye on more than just air quality data and emissions emanating from industrial polluters – we also work to keep air quality regulators accountable. Here in Allegheny County, that means keeping track of how efficiently our air local quality regulator – the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) – is managing the issuance of new air quality permits and the renewal of old ones. GASP’s legal team firs

May 19, 2021

Liberty-Clairton Area Dealt More Unhealthy Air Quality, More H2S Exceedances

AQI soared into the red, unhealthy-for-everybody range this morning, peaking at 163. An air dispersion report issued Wednesday by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) noted a strong surface inversion occurred today. The forecast, sourced from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said: Fine particulate levels will be at their highest between 4 and 10 a.m. this morning, then the breaking inversion along with a southeast wind will send overall averages

May 4, 2021

Let’s Talk About U.S. Steel’s Decision Not to Invest In the Mon Valley Works

In an “Open Letter to our Pittsburgh Family” company President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt wrote: “U. S. Steel is setting aside this project as we step forward to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world. In this world – a world that still needs steel – we need to find aggressive decarbonization solutions. The project we had planned in 2019 would have decreased our carbon footprint, but we must now move farther and faster. Just as steel transformed the worl

May 4, 2021

Study Confirms What Many Long Suspected: Clairton Coke Works Fire Sickened Mon Valley Residents

A new study co-authored by one of GASP’s board of directors confirms what many in the Mon Valley have long suspected: That a 2018 fire that knocked out air pollution controls at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works for more than three months sickened local residents. The collaborative study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, showed asthma exacerbations rose following the catastrophic Christmas Eve fire. “In addition to verifying that people living withi

May 3, 2021

April Ends With Three More Air Quality Exceedances in the Mon Valley

Hydrogen sulfide (or H2S) is a colorless gas most commonly recognized by its “rotten egg” smell. The average concentration of H2S at the Liberty monitor on both Tuesday and Wednesday was 0.007 ppm, according to preliminary health department data. The state 24-hour standard is 0.005 ppm. There was also an exceedance at the North Braddock monitor Wednesday, with a 24-hour concentration of 0.010 ppm – twice the state standard. That made nine H2S exceedances at the Liberty monito

Apr 19, 2021

Another Weekend, Another H2S Air Quality Exceedance for Mon Valley

The average concentration yesterday was 0.006 ppm, according to preliminary health department data. The state 24-hour standard is 0.005 ppm. The Sunday H2S exceedance was the sixth so far this month and the 13th so far this year at the Liberty monitor. Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas most commonly recognized by its “rotten egg” smell. This most recent exceedance comes in the wake of a Notice of Violation issued by ACHD to U.S. Steel on April 1 regarding H2S emissions. The

Apr 13, 2021

U.S. Steel: Prove Commitment to Community by Taking Voluntary Measures to Mitigate Air Pollution

In fact, company CEO David B. Burritt recently noted that U.S. Steel recognizes that is a “pillar” of the community, and acknowledged the importance of being a good neighbor – a Pittsburgh virtue if there ever was one. “U.S. Steel recognizes the importance of the communities where we live and work,” Burritt said in a March 26 press release. “We want a sustainable, bright future for families in the Mon Valley and Greater Pittsburgh.” That release was issued in the midst of a m

Apr 5, 2021

UPDATED: Several More H2S Exceedances for Mon Valley as Poor Air Quality Lingers

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 3:51 p.m. Monday to include today’s exceedances at the Liberty and North Braddock air quality monitors. High concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the Mon Valley led to exceedances of the state standard on Saturday and Monday at the Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitoring sites in Liberty and North Braddock. For the uninitiated: Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas most commonly recognized by its “rotten egg” s

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