The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2013” report came out today, and the raw data shows our region’s air quality as getting slowly better. However, many Pennsylvania counties (including Allegheny) still have air quality that is dangerous to breathe for millions of residents. When it comes to air pollution, the Pittsburgh region ranks in the top 10 worst cities for particle pollution, and top 25 for ground-level ozone. Environmental groups here have a unified message: the air quality is improving, but there are many miles to travel before we can rest. Read the groups’ press release here. For the full report about our local air quality, please visit the ALA’s web site here. #airpollution #airquality #AmericanLungAssociation #StateoftheAIr

These are the 2013/14 nominees for election/reelection to the GASP Board.  Only dues-paying GASP members are permitted to vote. Please read the candidates’ bios, and choose “Yes” or “No” in the space below.  Ballots must be completed by April 30, 2013. Candidates will be elected by a simple majority of member votes and the results announced at the Annual GASP Business Meeting on May 1, 2013 at 7:00 PM at 5135 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh. Please RSVP to rachel@gasp-pgh.org if you plan to attend the annual meeting. Julie Bamonte Burgo is the Pennsylvania Chair of Clean Air Revival, Inc., a national non-profit organization that provides education about the health hazards of wood smoke and other fine particulate pollution.  She is a member of several national cancer prevention organizations, including Breast Cancer Fund, Pure Prevention, and Cancer Prevention Coalition.  Julie graduated with a degree in psychology from Bethany College in 1989 and earned her elementary education teaching certificate from Carlow University in 1992. Maren Cooke is currently the Secretary of GASP.  She is a planetary scientist by training, having received her PhD from Cornell in 1991.  After a postdoc at MIT, she continued working for NASA but also stepped up her activities in science education including teaching, informal outreach, and curriculum development and illustration.  A lifelong environmentalist, Maren has been active on air quality, land use, and other sustainability issues since coming to Pittsburgh in 2000.  She began working with GASP in 2003. Greg DiMedio is the CEO at Greener Expressions and leading the launch of the Greener Pittsburgh initiative and website. He is working with nonprofit, business, and government stakeholders to promote sustainability in the Pittsburgh region.  Greg has an MA in Rhetoric and Linguistics from the University of South Carolina and over 12 years of experience promoting businesses, nonprofits and causes through print and internet marketing media.  An avid hiker and fly fisherman, Greg has served as a steward and lifetime member of Trout Unlimited and as a writer and activist for the Sierra Club. David Eibling is a practicing Ear-Nose-Throat physician at the VA Pittsburgh and a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh.  His career has focused on treating patients with head and neck cancer and teaching, primarily to residents, medical students, physicians and nurses.  Throughout his career he has maintained an active interest in one specific source of pollution–tobacco combustion–an interest now expanded to include other sources of pollution that affect all of us, even when outside our homes and businesses. Thalia Gray received her BA in Archaeology from Cornell and her PhD from NYU, concentrating on early Eastern European history and land use and environmental changes over time.  She established an international field school and archaeology nonprofit with Polish colleagues in 1998 (Slavia.org), which is still ongoing.  She currently works as a freelance science writer, focused mainly on health and medicine, and volunteers her time with the afterschool program at the Kingsley Association in East Liberty.  Thalia is profoundly interested in improving air quality and community interaction in Pittsburgh. Janis Johnson has been serving as the GASP Treasurer since 2007.  Her duties have included overseeing the preparation of financial statements, handling the independent audit, planning and monitoring the budget, and preparing the tax returns.  In addition, she has been active in fundraising.  She is a retired CPA with a BA degree from the College of Wooster and an MS in taxation from Robert Morris University.  As an avid participant in outdoor activities, she is committed to improving the air quality in the Pittsburgh region. Jonathan Nadle is currently the President of GASP.  He served previously as 1st Vice President for three years and as Board Secretary for five years.  He has a BA in Political Science from Penn State University, and now works as an energy efficiency expert.  Jonathan is an active member of Pittsburgh’s environmental community. Ted Popovich has served on the GASP Pollution Patrol Team and as an Emissions Evaluator.  He has a BS in Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and an MS in Human Resource Development from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).  Ted has had over thirty years of commercial operations experience prior to his retirement from Corning Incorporated. Subsequently, he has been an instructor at RIT and its partner schools in Europe, and currently is a YMCA Health and Fitness Staff member. Peri Unligil is a physician with University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, specializing in internal medicine, and is also a clinical assistant professor there.  She studied biochemistry and then medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.  She is very interested in the influence of environmental exposures on human health, and in the health of our local and global environment.  She has been a resident of Pittsburgh and member of the Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club for over ten years. [contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"] 2013/14 Proposed GASP Board Julie Bamonte Burgo Maren Cooke – Secretary Zelda Curtiss Greg DiMedio David Eibling Marla Ferrency Edward Gerjuoy Walter Goldburg – Second Vice President Thalia Gray Karen Grzywinski Frances Harkins Janis Johnson – Treasurer Jonathan Nadle – President Ted Popovich Kate St. John – First Vice President Peri Unligil #ballots #gaspboard #vote

The third and final lecture of the 2012-2013 Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy: Environment and Health at Carnegie Mellon University was held March 21, 2013. The topic was the “Current State-of-the-Science on Environmental Factors in Autism” presented by Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, an environmental epidemiologist from the University of California Davis MIND Institute. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto is Director for the California programs CHARGE (Childhood Autism Risk from Genes and Environment), the first large, comprehensive, population-based study of environmental factors in autism, and MARBLES (Markers of Autism Risk in Babies – Learning Early Signs), which searches for early markers, starting during pregnancy, that will predict autism.  She has served on various advisory panels including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Toxicology Program, the California Air Resources Board and Proposition 65 committee, and the National Institutes of Health’s Interagency Coordinating Committee on Autism Research. Upon entering the field of research for autism about 10 years ago, Dr. Hertz-Picciotto discovered that there are two main causes of this Pervasive Developmental Disorder, these being genetic factors and environmental exposures.  Dr. Hertz-Picciotto’s primary focus is on the autism spectrum disorder genes (ASD) genes linked to potential common mechanisms responsible for interrupted brain development.  Dr. Hertz-Picciotto believes environmental factors are responsible for recent increases in children born with autism. “We do not have the ability to change the patterns of our genes.  However, we can intervene when it comes to our environmental influences,” Dr. Hertz-Picciotto said.  She presented a review of contributing factors that influence spikes in autism such as pesticides, metals, air pollution, medical treatments (fertility treatments and maternal medications), metabolic conditions, and acute illnesses. Concerning air quality and its explicit influence on the increasing number of children born with autism, Dr. Hertz-Picciotto discussed the importance of limiting exposure to any unhealthy levels of air pollution, as early as three months prior to conception.  The lecture specifically stressed how important it is for pregnant women or those considering having children to avoid long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution, if possible. This is vital during the prenatal period of the potential child because this is where the development is in its most fragile state.  Dr. Hertz-Picciotto provided support for her theory by discussing tests she and her team did while on large rodent populations where traffic-related pollutants, such as benzo(a)pyrene and diesel exhaust, from busy freeways proved to induce neurodevelopmental deficits. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto urged women to be wary of their environmental surroundings, pointing out the multi factorial nature of autism causality and critical time windows.  She concluded, “There is no known cure for autism.  This means we must work harder to limit our negative influences and find ways to help those whom are faced with the consequences of our [polluting] actions.” Guest post by Brianna Britos-Swain, Chatham College for Women at Chatham University student #airpollution #DrHertzPicciotto #autism #CarnegieMellonUniversity #airquality

Here is one thing you may not have considered: is the air quality inside your home safe or even worse, could it be making your family sick?  According to the Pittsburgh Green House, your home could be harboring many products that “off-gas” harmful pollutants that you inhale. Off-gassing refers to the evaporation of synthetic compounds which are harmful to health.  Even more alarming is the fact that on average we spend 80-90% of our lives indoors.  The EPA estimates that indoor levels of air pollution can be anywhere from 5 to 100 times worse than outdoor levels. The Pittsburgh Green House, a 110-year old home that has been renovated and serves as educational facility for residential energy, water savings, and healthy living has begun its workshop series labeled “Healthy Homes Series.”  The first workshop focused on indoor air quality.  It addressed the origins of poor indoor air quality, the problems that causes, and the solutions to fix it. Sources Pressed wood furniture, radon gas, mold, carpeting, household cleaning products, pesticides, carbon monoxide, dust, and new furniture are the most common sources of indoor air pollution. Health Risks Rashes, asthma, cardiovascular illness, allergies, ear infections, burning eyes, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, itching, and even cancer. Solutions Strategies to remove sources can be easy and inexpensive.  Improved ventilation can help abate mold growth, along with sealing leaking windows, pipes, or other sources of moisture.  Installing affordable carbon monoxide (CO) and radon detectors can drastically lower your high exposure risk.  Relocating pressed wood furniture away from direct sunlight can reduce formaldehyde off-gassing, and letting new furniture and building materials air out for a few days before bringing them inside your home will help protect you from the strongest levels of off-gassing of all kinds.  Cleaning your homes with less toxic products will reduce chemical fumes.  Finally, greening up your home with indoor plants such as Philodendrons can naturally purify your home by filtering a variety of pollutants. If you are unsure about air quality your home, check out the great resources that Pittsburgh Green House has to offer by clicking here. Guest post by GASP Intern and GSPIA student Matt Ferrer #airpollution #airquality #indoorairquality #PittsburghGreenHouse

On March 13, GASP and 10 other organizations representing regional environmental, labor, community, and faith-based organizations commented at the City Council meeting about the lack of implementation and enforcement of the City’s “Clean Air Act of 2010,” informally known as clean construction legislation. In addition to the comments we presented each city council member with this letter. In July of 2011, City Council proudly passed the clean construction legislation, which requires projects receiving at least $250,000 in public subsidies to spend a prorated percentage on cleaner construction equipment, ensuring that construction in Pittsburgh will get progressively cleaner. The clean construction legislation has been languishing in the City’s Law Department for 18 months, even though it is was required that regulations implementing the provisions of the legislation be written within six months of passage. #diesel #CleanAirActof2010 #CleanConstruction #dieselemissions

A great look at an issue that’s frustrated us for months and months.  Thanks to Emily DeMarco and Public Source for covering this.  Full story below. Old diesel equipment still spewing soot into Pittsburgh’s air Pittsburgh’s Clean Air Act not implemented By Emily DeMarco | PublicSource | March 7, 2013 Morry Feldman takes a cocktail of medications each day that allow him to live and work in a region with poor air quality. (Photo by Emily DeMarco/PublicSource) March 8, 2013: A correction has been made to this article (see bottom for details). Morry Feldman downs two horse pills with breakfast. Then, he uses four different sprays. Two puffs into the mouth.  Two into the nose. Repeat at dinner. Feldman, 59, has severe asthma and allergies. And Pittsburgh is among the worst places he could live or work because of the region’s poor air quality. “If I miss a dose, I start to get sick,” said Feldman, a senior account executive at WQED Multimedia. Feldman is one of nearly 97,000 adults in Allegheny County with asthma. The county received F’s in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2012 study. Among the reasons cited by experts for the region’s poor air quality: diesel fumes. Morry Feldman, who has severe asthma and allergies, and people like him are among the most vulnerable to ‘dirty diesel’ emissions. (Photo by Emily DeMarco/PublicSource) The Pittsburgh City Council passed a local law in 2011 requiring construction companies to retrofit equipment that runs on diesel fuel in order to reduce emissions. But, to date, no dozers, diggers or dump trucks have had to comply. Called the Clean Air Act of 2010, the local law focused on construction sites that received public dollars. If the development’s budget was larger than $2.5 million and it received at least $250,000 in public subsidies, it  would have to retrofit a percentage of its diesel equipment. Regulations for the ordinance haven’t been finalized, making it unenforceable. Supporters of the ordinance have cried foul. “If we truly want to be the most livable city, we have to contend with our air pollution,” said Rachel Filippini, the executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution, known as GASP.  “And one way to do that is to clean up construction vehicles.” GASP was part of a coalition of health, environmental, faith, industry, and labor organizations that helped to draft the legislation. Small, but deadly The Environmental Protection Agency has set standards for new diesel engines, but it’s the old engines that produce what’s known as ‘dirty diesel’ fumes. A typical diesel engine has a life span of 20 to 30 years. It is widely accepted that dirty diesel exhaust contains tiny particles of soot, also known as black carbon. And that the smallest of these particles can go straight into the bloodstream and are linked to cancer, asthma and stroke. In addition, the diesel exhaust contains nitrogen oxides, which, when released into the atmosphere on hot days, create ozone, a powerful irritant that can cause chemical burns in the lungs. Children, the elderly, and people with chronic lung and heart conditions are among the most vulnerable to dirty diesel’s impact. And the workers who operate diesel equipment are the first to breathe the harmful emissions. The city council passed the local legislation requiring developers to curb diesel emissions, in part, because Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods are densely packed, with schools and playgrounds often near construction sites. If the legislation had been in effect, one construction site that would need to comply would be Bakery Square 2.0, a development on Penn Ave. that broke ground in January 2013. The $100-million project is the sister site to Bakery Square 1.0, home to Google’s Pittsburgh offices, high-end shops and a hotel. With the help of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and the Urban Redevelopment Authority, according to a press release from the mayor’s office, the development was awarded about $2 million in federal funds. The development was recently awarded $4 million from the administration of Gov. Tom Corbett. Bakery Square 2.0 borders The Ellis School, a private, all-girls academy, and Mellon Park. The girls at the Ellis School who have asthma could be directly affected by the diesel emissions while Bakery Square 2.0 construction is underway, said Dr. Fernando Holguin, the assistant director at the University of Pittsburgh’s Asthma Institute. “Maybe some children will wheeze a little more…and some kids may end up in hospital,” Dr. Holguin said. Representatives from the project’s development company, Walnut Capital, did not return phone calls or emails requesting comment. A representative from The Ellis School said she didn’t know enough about the ordinance to comment. Just a piece of paper ‘Clean construction’ laws have sprouted across the country. Pittsburgh’s was modeled after New York City’s version, called Local Law 77. New York’s version passed in 2003 and took about a year to implement. It also required convincing industry officials that the retrofits wouldn’t cause warranties to be voided or engines to explode, said Gerry Kelpin of that city’s Department of Environmental Protection. Kelpin’s team is in charge of enforcing the law. City leadership, including The New York City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, strongly supported the law, Kelpin said. Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto, who was the main sponsor of the ordinance, gave a copy of New York City’s regulations to Pittsburgh’s Law Department. Meetings concerning the regulations to implement the ordinance have been going on for more than a year, according to Peduto’s office. Big projects, no retrofitting requirements These are some of the projects with public financing that have been announced since the Clean Air Act was passed by the Pittsburgh City Council and signed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. All of these projects would have been required to retrofit a percentage of their diesel equipment used at the construction site if the regulations were in place. However, the regulations have not been finalized, said Daniel Regan, Pittsburgh’s solicitor. Regan said they are waiting to hear from Peduto’s office. Peduto is running for mayor. “We weren’t involved, nor were we asked to be involved, in drafting the legislation,” Regan said, adding they they thought it was important for the sponsors to review it. When PublicSource asked about the implementation of the ordinance at a public event, Ravenstahl declined to comment. Doug Anderson, the deputy city controller whose inspectors will be in charge of enforcing the retrofitting requirements, said his inspectors haven’t been trained. Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak, co-sponsor of the ordinance, said she hopes the regulations are written as soon as possible. “Until it’s implemented, it’s just words on a page,” said Rudiak, who is running for re-election. Rudiak said she has a list of ordinances that council passed that haven’t been implemented by this administration. “At the end of the day, I want to make sure the public is aware of what’s really going on out there, and they can be the judge of how they feel about it,” she said. According to Pittsburgh’s City Code, any ordinance that isn’t vetoed by the mayor, automatically becomes law; the Clean Air Act of 2010 was signed by Ravenstahl. But in order for the law to be enforceable, rules need to be drafted. The dirty diesel regulations have been in the works for more than a year. “That’s a long time,” said Denise Rousseau, a professor of public policy at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. Rousseau, who was speaking about the role of elected leaders in implementing laws and not about any specific instance, suggested that the reasons for the delay might include an administrative backlog, logistical problems coming up with enforceable rules or pressure from an external source. An undue burden? Construction industry representatives, who were at the table during the drafting of the law, warned that retrofitting requirements might block small construction companies from doing business in Pittsburgh. The Heinz Endowments, whose Breathe Project works with government and industry for cleaner air, contributed to an existing Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) fund to help small contractors retrofit their equipment. (The Heinz Endowments also supports PublicSource.) “It was a way to help small contractors to still be competitive under a new requirement,” said Caren Glotfelty, senior director of The Heinz Endowments’ Environment Program. A new piece of diesel equipment is a huge investment for companies, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Besides buying new equipment, companies can replace the engine, swap parts in the engine, or attach a filter to retrofit. Each option must be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. “Not all machines have solutions,” said Jason Koss. Koss is the director of industry relations for the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania. About 15 members of the trade association have already retrofitted their equipment using money from the ACHD, he said. Koss said there are always costs associated with new regulations. Supporters of the law said opportunities to make the air cleaner are being lost. And for people like Feldman, the costs of the region’s poor air quality are tangible. Feldman, one of Dr. Holguin’s patients, developed asthma and allergies during his early 50s. But he hasn’t has an asthma attack for about four years because he regularly takes his medication. The meds cost about $150 a month, even with health insurance through WQED. (The public broadcasting network is a news partner of PublicSource.) Filippini, of GASP, said that doing nothing about the diesel air pollution may seem like the cheaper and easier thing to do, but the health and environmental costs are great. Children miss school because of asthma attacks; parents miss work to stay home with sick children. There are also more emergency room visits, and higher insurance premiums. Pittsburgh has come a long way from it’s ‘smoky city’ image, Filippini said, adding that this law is a tangible step the city can take to clean up regional air pollution. “It is a way that they can be a leader,” she said. Correction: This story originally said that Councilman Bill Peduto is running for mayor against Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. Ravenstahl is not running for another term. Reach Emily DeMarco at 412-315-0262 or edemarco@publicsource.org. #airpollution #diesel #CleanConstruction #CleanAirAct #airquality

Air Pollution Speed Dating, Air Quality Jeopardy, and the AQI Playoffs are just a few of the many games and activities included in the Athletes United for Healthy Air Toolkit that can help students, their teachers, and their coaches learn about air quality in a fun and interactive way.  The toolkit was developed with funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and is distributed at no cost in order to make its information and activities available to anyone who can effectively use it. In addition to hands-on activities and lesson plans, the toolkit includes additional resources such as Tips to Reduce Exposure to Air Pollution, a wealth of on-line resources, and a teacher tutorial.  To request your free toolkit (provided on a flash drive), and/or a presentation for your class, contact Sam Thomas at sam@gasp-pgh.org. Athletes United for Healthy Air is a new campaign launched by the Group Against Smog and Pollution to educate athletes of all kinds, from the casual runner to the elite cyclist, about our regional air pollution, ways to minimize personal exposure and champion air quality improvement efforts. We’ve known for a long time that air pollution poses a greater risk to the health of children, asthmatics, and the elderly, but what about our most active, presumably healthiest citizens? Athletes of all kinds experience increased exposure to air pollution because they are processing air at a more rapid rate during outdoor physical activity than an individual at rest. To learn more about GASP’s Athletes United for Healthy Air campaign click here. #AQI #AthletesUnitedforHealthyAir #airpollution #DEP #airquality

What is the hold up?  Pittsburgh’s clean construction legislation (formally known as the Clean Air Act of 2010) passed back in July of 2011, yet there still is no regulation implementing the law.  The law requires projects receiving at least $250,000 in public subsidies to spend a prorated percentage on cleaner construction equipment, ensuring that construction in Pittsburgh will get progressively cleaner. This regulation was supposed to be written within six months of passage of the legislation.  Beginning January 1, 2013, the legislation became effective for off-road diesel equipment operating on the project site.  How are contractors to comply effectively when the regulations that implement the law haven’t yet been written? Contact the Mayor’s office and urge swift creation and enforcement of the clean construction regulation. While Pittsburgh’s air quality has come a long way from the smoky city images of yore, we still have a long way to go to achieve truly healthy air.  And one component of cleaning the air is minimizing diesel emissions.  This includes emissions from construction vehicles, which make up nearly a quarter of our diesel pollution problem in the region.  Diesel pollution creates serious public health hazards.  Diesel exhaust contains many toxic air pollutants, carcinogens, ozone-forming elements, and fine particulate matter. The construction industry uses more diesel engines than any other sector, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, it generates roughly 32% of all land-based non-road oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions and more than 37% of land-based particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in size (PM10).  Exposure to fine particles causes asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer, strokes, and premature deaths.  The good news is that emission controls called diesel particulate filters (DPFs), combined with the use of widely available ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD), can eliminate more than 90 percent of fine particles from a heavy-duty truck or piece of construction equipment. Poor air quality created by diesel emissions especially impacts those who are more vulnerable to air pollution, such as our children and the elderly.  Construction workers are also more at-risk, as they receive the most potent, toxic dose of diesel emissions since they work around the air pollution- spewing equipment each day. A major study of health risks from diesel pollution from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health underscores the need to reduce diesel emissions.  The study examined the public health risks of diesel pollution by looking at 12,000 mining industry workers exposed to diesel particles, and found an astonishing three-fold increased risk of both lung cancer and premature mortality among this study sample. Furthermore, the researchers found that lifetime exposure to diesel exhaust in some U.S. urban areas with high levels of diesel pollution could carry similar risks.  According to the study, other workers who are continuously exposed to diesel exhaust are particularly at risk, such as the 1.8 million heavy truck drivers and 460,000 heavy construction equipment operators in this country as estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2008. To assist small contractors in covering the cost of retrofitting their equipment, the Allegheny County Health Department and the Heinz Endowments established the Small Construction Contractor Retrofit Program.  This program is currently accepting applications from contractors who primarily work in Allegheny County or Pittsburgh. As if grant funding hasn’t made utilizing clean construction equipment attractive enough, the US Green Building Council just announced a “Clean Construction” pilot credit to their LEED Pilot Credit Library.  Read more here. We need your help today in urging the Mayor’s Office to get the clean construction regulation written, so that the contractors and construction companies have all the information they need to comply with the law.  The health of our residents, and our city’s air quality—and image—depend on it. #constructionequipment #particulatepollution #diesel #emissions #CleanConstruction #NationalCancerInstitute #dieselemissions #airquality

Curious how air quality regulators come up with plans to combat air pollution, and how they know that the plans will work?  The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) is pulling back the curtain for two hours to discuss its plan to reduce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in our region. From ACHD: The “Citizens Air Modeling Workshop on New PM2.5 State Implementation Plan (SIP)” will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 from 5 PM to 7 PM in the ACHD-AQP building #7, first-floor conference room. The workshop will give attendees a better understanding of the air-quality modeling performed for the new PM2.5 SIP, and will explain the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx) model and the Plume-in-Grid (PiG) component of the CAMx model description of modeling inputs (emissions, meteorology, grids, discrete receptors, et al), additional models used to represent air-quality conditions, and review of calculations necessary to the modeling effort.  Attendees are encouraged to contact Tony Sadar at ACHD (412-578-8125, asadar@achd.net) if they need further details. #airpollution #PM25SIP #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #airquality

GASP rang in the new year by delivering comments on Pennsylvania’s potential changes to its low RVP gasoline requirement for the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley Area.  Fun, right? Due to our high levels of ozone in the region, we must use a type of gasoline in the warmer months that is less likely to evaporate–meaning less air pollution. Recently, certain lawmakers and industry groups have pushed this requirement onto the chopping block, but in these comments, we explain why the clean gas rules should be kept–and why the state is legally obligated to do so as well. #airpollution #cleangasrules #RVPgasolinerequirement