EPA: Liberty-Clairton Area Has Met Federal Air Quality Standards, Maintenance Plan Approved to Ensure Progress Continues

Here’s something completely different…Some positive news from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding air quality in our corner of the Keystone State.

Our local EPA office announced in a press release Monday that the agency has approved Pennsylvania's request to designate the Liberty-Clairton area as a maintenance area, signifying that the area meets 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 air quality standards. 

Here’s what the EPA said in that release:

This significant milestone marks a collaborative effort between EPA, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to improve air quality for the communities within Liberty, Lincoln, Port Vue, Glassport boroughs, and the City of Clairton to redesignate a nonattainment area to attainment, the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA to determine the state has met all applicable requirements for that National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Fine particulate pollution, known as PM2.5, can originate directly from sources or form secondarily through atmospheric chemical reactions involving precursor pollutants. EPA's decision reflects the successful implementation of strategies to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NOx), ammonia (NH3), and volatile organic

compounds (VOCs), which contribute to PM2.5 formation.

EPA’s final rule details how the Liberty-Clairton Area meets the CAA requirements for redesignation, including a maintenance plan outlining sustained practices for continued compliance.

What You Need to Know About Allegheny County’s Maintenance Plan Approval

In addition, EPA has approved the Commonwealth’s plan to maintain air quality standards in the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 annual PM2.5 standard through 2035. 

This plan encompasses all municipalities within Allegheny County and includes provisions for local controls should the 2012 annual PM2.5 standard be violated. This action does not redesignate the Allegheny County Area to attainment for the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS.

We know: This is all VERY technical. The bottom line? This is truly positive news for the residents of the Liberty-Clairton airshed and indeed, all of Allegheny County.

The EPA's designation of attainment for the Liberty-Clairton area for PM2.5 standards is a testament to the decades of hard work, advocacy, and a commitment to cleaner air from countless individuals and organizations like GASP and so many others.

“We've collectively pushed for stronger regulations, held polluters accountable, and championed solutions to clear our skies,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “But this isn't the finish line; it's just a crucial milestone. The approval of the maintenance plan for Allegheny County is precisely what we need to ensure this progress isn't fleeting.”

Think of it like this: After a long fitness journey, you wouldn’t just go back to your old habits, right? You implement a maintenance plan - a new lifestyle with healthier habits to ensure your progress.

“This maintenance plan is a vital tool, outlining the ongoing strategies and contingency measures that will prevent backsliding and ensure the hard-won air quality improvements we've achieved are sustained for generations to come,” Campbell continued. “We must remain vigilant and committed to its implementation."

GASP wants to stress that future progress depends on more than just a maintenance plan, we need to ensure that our local regulator - the Allegheny County Health Department - has the staffing and resources it needs to fulfill its duties.

“Right now, ACHD leadership has made it clear that they do not have those resources,” Campbell explained. “This attainment news should be a wakeup call to Allegheny County Council members who have been stalling on a vote to approve fee schedule changes that would ensure this air quality progress continues.”

We also want folks to understand that this type of local progress could be derailed by proposed rollbacks of crucial regulations announced recently by Trump’s EPA. Help us fight these rollbacks and protect the air we have all fought so hard to clean up. Here’s one way to resist.