#airpollution

Blog Against Smog

Nov 22, 2021

Weekend Sees Yet Another H2S Exceedance for Mon Valley

Concentrations of the air pollutant known by its rotten-egg odor were high enough to exceed Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average of 0.005 ppm, ending the day at 0.008 ppm. This marks the 46th day of 2021 when H2S exceeded that standard at the Liberty monitor. There were 17 other such exceedances at ACHD’s air quality monitor in North Braddock Borough. “The Mon Valley remains on pace to hit at least 50 H2S exceedances by the end of the year. For those who might not know, that would

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

Nov 7, 2021

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning as PM2.5 Concentrations Spike

Photo by GASP Board Member Roger Day Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 4:20 p.m. Nov. 7 to include additional information from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Sunday morning issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning, with preliminary data showing levels of fine particulate matter exceeded federal health-based air quality standards at its Liberty monitor. According to airnow.gov, the NowCast Air Quality Index (A

Nov 5, 2021

Mon Valley Sees 55th H2S Exceedance, Liberty-Clairton Air Quality Again Worst in Nation Friday

For a time this morning, AirNow.gov showed the Liberty-Clairton area as having the worst NowCast Air Quality Index (AQI) in the nation when it soared to 156. According to the EPA, air quality in the affected area was “unhealthy,” meaning that people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and teens should have avoided strenuous outdoor activities, kept outdoor activities short, and considered moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them to reduce exposu

Nov 4, 2021

Despite Expired Deadline for Action, PA House Committee Slated to Meet, Vote to Kill RGGI

By now, you’ve probably heard about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions from large electric generating units. Right now, 11 states in the northeastern United States participate in the program, and Pennsylvania is looking to be the 12th. GASP has blogged regularly about the program, submitted formal comments on the regulation proposed by the Environmental Quality Board (EQB), and is now watching an unexpected turn

Nov 3, 2021

GASP to Health Officials: You Have a Responsibility to Residents to Do More About Mon Valley Stench,

GASP attended the Allegheny County Board of Health meeting Wednesday to once again request that officials provide an update to the public about ongoing exceedances of the state hydrogen sulfide standard in the Mon Valley and what’s being done to stave off the associated rotten-egg stench. Here are the full comments presented by GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell: Dear Allegheny County Board of Health: Good afternoon. My name is Patrick Campbell, I am the new Executive D

Nov 3, 2021

UPDATE: Neville Chemical Appeals ACHD Enforcement Action, $62K Civil Penalty

A Neville Island resin manufacturer last week appealed an enforcement order issued Oct. 5 by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) that included more than $62,000 in civil penalties for alleged violations of its permit and local air pollution control regulations. In its appeal, Neville Chemical requests that an ACHD hearing officer vacate the enforcement order, which covers six alleged air pollution violations stemming from a Sept. 2 equipment breakdown. In case you m

Oct 20, 2021

Air Advisory Committee Approve $578K Clean Air Fund Request, Still No Word on GASP Appointee

Members of Allegheny County’s Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved making more than $578,000 from the Clean Air Fund available to the Health Department to cover normal operating expenditures in 2021. Why that amount? Allegheny County’s air pollution regulations allow the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) to use 5 percent of the Clean Air Fund balance annually to “fund the normal operating costs of the County’s Air Quality Program.”

Oct 20, 2021

Re-Evaluated RACT II Limits for PA Coal Burners Means Emissions will ‘Finally Be Regulated Properly'

From time to time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revises the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (also known as NAAQS) for ozone or oxides of nitrogen, a precursor of ozone. When EPA revises a NAAQS for ozone, states with areas that do not attain the newly revised standard must evaluate major sources of oxides of nitrogen – also referred to as NOx – to determine that the emission controls in place at such sources within nonattainment areas meet what’s know

Sep 29, 2021

May We Introduce Our New Executive Director? GASPers, Meet Patrick Campbell

After earning a bachelor of science degree in marriage and family studies from Mercyhurst College, the Butler High School graduate decided that four years enduring Erie winters was enough, and opted to pursue his master’s degree at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. After earning his master of divinity in 2013, Patrick went to work as the pastor at Peace Church in Hickory, NC – a small, progressive congregation he said had “a history of advocacy.” While it was on the v

Sep 29, 2021

Press Release | GASP Announces Hiring of New Executive Director

Media Contact: Amanda Gillooly GASP Communications Manager amanda@gasp-pgh.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GASP Announces Hiring of New Executive Director The air quality watchdog organization’s new leader started work earlier this month. PITTSBURGH – The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) is delighted to announce that it has hired Patrick Campbell as its new executive director. Campbell’s tenure as the air quality watchdog’s new leader started earlier this month and coincides

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

Sep 28, 2021

Outgoing GASP Leader Honored for 20 Years of Service at Allegheny County Council Meeting

Councilperson Anita Prizio sponsored a proclamation celebrating Rachel’s commitment to GASP and the improvement of local air quality. It read: WHEREAS, after 20 years dedicated to Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), Rachel Filippini will depart from GASP to pursue the next chapter in her personal and professional life; and WHEREAS, GASP was founded in 1969 by volunteers concerned about air quality in southwestern Pennsylvania. Today, the organization continues to work to

Sep 23, 2021

CONGRATS to GASP Board Member Maren Cooke – a 2021 Allegheny County Medical Society Foundation

We’re screaming CONGRATULATIONS to longtime GASP board member Maren Cooke, who was recently named an Allegheny County Medical Society Foundation awardee. <applause break> The annual Allegheny County Medical Society Foundation (also known as ACMSF) awards recognize outstanding efforts by physicians, health care professionals and others who have significantly advanced patient care, contributed to improving the health of the community, served the medical profession, provided exc

Sep 13, 2021

UPDATED: Allegheny County Council Votes Unanimously to Approve Mon Valley Air Pollution Episodic Reg

Note: This story was updated at 6:16 p.m. Sept. 14 to reflect information from Allegheny County Council’s meeting and again on Sept. 23 to reflect that the new rules have been signed into law by Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Allegheny County Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a long-sought Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode rules. The vote came after Council’s Health and Human Service committee affirmatively recommended the episodic weather reg

Aug 23, 2021

LIMITED (FREE) OPPORTUNITY | Attend 2-Day Smoke School & Get Same Training As Health Inspectors

Even those of us who don’t live near or downwind of an industrial source of air pollution have at some point likely looked at emissions being belched from a facility and asked, “Is that even permitted?” You can learn the answer to that question and more at an upcoming smoke reading course. Not familiar with smoke reading? Then let’s take a step back to explain: “Smoke readers” is a general term for volunteers who are trained and certified to recognize and understand visible e

Aug 16, 2021

PHOTO/VIDEO GALLERY: Jeghetto’s Homecoming Puppet Show in Clairton Wows Children & Adults

Clairton Park came alive Saturday with a unique blend of hip hop and puppetry thanks to Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, an internationally renowned artist and puppeteer who performed a special homecoming show – one that thrilled both adults and children alike. GASP was honored to sponsor the show, which featured puppets Pipkins crafted using mostly recycled materials. And those in attendance didn’t have to settle for a view from afar: Jeghetto climbed off the stage and walked thro

Jul 2, 2021

County Council Committee Votes to Approve Air Quality Permit Fee Schedule Changes, Final Vote Expect

Allegheny County Council’s Health and Human Services Committee on Thursday afternoon voted to recommend for final approval proposed air quality permit fee schedule changes expected to help put the air quality program on sound financial footing. Council is expected to take a final vote on the measure later this month. Until then, GASP is getting the word out about the fee schedule changes, which we strongly support. Here are five reasons you should join us in urging council to

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

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