The first review of GASP’s Clean Air Kits is in, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Here’s what Grounded Strategies Project Manager for Youth Engagement Ashley Seiler said after borrowing one of our kits – which include fun, hands-on activities (one involves pig lungs) that help educate kids about issues related to air quality and health: Omg! I used the gasp air quality kit tonight and the kids went wild. Does anyone else have it requested? I was going to see if I could borrow it again. It is so fun. Their faces with the pig lung are priceless. I love teaching the lesson. Keep me posted. The picture Ms. Sieler sent along is worth a million words. Editor’s Note: Teachers in schools across Allegheny County may borrow one, two, or all three of the kits completely free of charge. GASP will also provide free delivery. In addition to the instructional materials included as part of the kits, a member of GASP’s education staff will conduct an Air Quality 101 presentation. Teachers and administrators are encouraged to email us at education@gasp-pgh.org to find out more information or to request one of more of the kits. #piglungs #CleanAirKits #AshleySeiler #GroundedPittsburgh #airquality

The EPA used New Year’s Eve as an odd (and perhaps intentional) date to publish four reports by its Chartered Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), three of which were strongly critical of the administration’s grasp on established science. You can read more about those reports in a story by the Washington Post here and another in the New York Times here – and we recommend (and hope) that you do. We also hope that you read the draft SAB letters (you can check them out online here). When you’re done, we encourage you to write your elected officials, your friends, your boss, and anyone else you can think of to let them know what you think. GASP’s view is that these documents paint an appalling picture of how little regard the current EPA has for science. Even worse, we believe they suggest EPA is more than willing to manipulate science for political purposes. The SAB letter concerning the administration’s attempt to undo vehicle fuel-efficiency standards, for example, pointed out an alarming “weakness” in the EPA’s modeling that caused “implausible results”: The EPA somehow concluded that “an increase in vehicle prices due to regulation will cause the [national vehicle] fleet to grow substantially when it would usually be expected to shrink.” In other words, the EPA tried to suggest that if regulations increased the cost of cars, consumers would buy more of them. The horror of that “miscalculation” should set in when you realize the EPA used this implausible increased number of total vehicles on the road to “prove” the fuel efficiency standards would not reduce emissions. Even if you cannot fully examine the SAB letters and news coverage of EPA’s sinister science, please consider listening in on EPA’s defense of it and share your experience with others. The EPA and SAB will be holding public teleconferences on Jan. 17, 21, 22, and 24 to discuss these reports. Per the SAB agenda, one of the four letters will be addressed each of the four days. Notice of these teleconferences was also published on New Year’s Eve but, again, you will find actual call-in information conspicuously missing from the notice itself. To get call-in details, you need to: Go to the SAB website here. Then, on the right-hand side of the page, you will see links for the four teleconference days under a heading titled “Upcoming and Recent Meetings.” If you click on any of the above-mentioned dates, you’ll be taken to a webpage for that day’s “public meeting” information. On that page, if you click on the green “Call-in Information” button, you should get a pop-up that asks you for an email address and promises that a call-in number and access code will be sent to that email address “within minutes.” The call-in information might be the same for all four teleconferences but if you are interested in listening in all four days, you should probably go through this process for all four dates. We recognize this is a bit outside the scope of GASP’s usual coverage of local air issues but the EPA’s attack on science is alarming. Finally, we’d like to point out GASP takes great pride in avoiding unfounded accusations, but here we felt comfortable suggesting EPA’s choice to publish the reports on a notoriously lax news day was “perhaps intentional” because all four draft reports are dated months earlier – Oct. 16, 2019, per the document titles. In addition, the PDF metadata confirm all four files were created on Oct. 16, 2019. GASP strongly believes that this suggests EPA staff had copies of these letters for more than 10 weeks before they were posted publicly. Posting them on New Year’s Eve seemed like a bit too much of a “coincidence” for us to stomach. #EPA #emissions #SAB

An Allegheny County Health Department spokesman on Tuesday confirmed that ACHD is now posting to its website enforcement orders from its Air Quality Program. The move was first announced by ACHD Deputy Director of Environmental Health Jim Kelly at the Jan. 10 Board of Health meeting. Prior to the documents being posted publicly, residents needed to submit a formal Right to Know request to obtain them. GASP appreciates the additional transparency regarding these Air Quality Program-related documents, which can be accessed here. #ACHD #airquality #AirQualityProgram #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment

A Natrona-based slag processor will pay a more than $107,000 civil penalty and construct a new building to enclose processing thanks to a consent order and agreement with the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). The agreement between the department, Harsco Corporation, and ATI Flat Rolled Products was finalized Jan. 7 and addresses ongoing complaints from residents of nearby Opal Court who said that fugitive dust from the slag processing facility could be found on their cars and homes. The agreement was first announced by ACHD Deputy of Environmental Health Jim Kelly at the Jan. 10 Board of Health meeting, where he called the enclosed processing requirement “a first” for Allegheny County. About Harsco’s Ongoing Fugitive Dust Issue The dust issue first came to light in March of 2017, when ACHD issued notice of violation letters to Harsco and ATI, the steel-making company for which Harsco processes slag. ATI also owns the property where Harsco’s facility is situated. Those NOVs came after inspectors noted dust on children’s toys, playground equipment, and cars in Opal Court on three separate occasions in February of 2017, ultimately determining the company was in violations of regulations regarding fugitive emissions. Harsco in June of 2017 submitted an action plan to address the violations, committing to operational changes and enhanced training designed to mitigate those dust issues. Despite implementing that compliance plan, ACHD noted that residential complaints about dust deposits continued to pour in: Between May 15, 2017 and May 22, 2018, inspectors noted 13 days on which deposits of particulate matter from Harsco were discovered nearby—spurring the health department to issue another administrative order against the company May 29, 2018. That order required the company to submit and implement a compliance plan that would eliminate all fallout of particulate matter. Harsco’s fix? The installation of a spray header system, which became fully operational on Aug. 6, 2018. The problem? ACHD continued to receive complaints about fugitive dust from nearby residents. A subsequent investigation determined that particulate matter deposits were noted in the community on 20 days between July 11, 2018 and Dec. 23, 2019. As a result, ACHD determined that the plan was not adequate—which led to this latest agreement. Harsco Agrees to Take Corrective Action In addition to the $107,020 civil penalty and the construction of a new building to enclose slag operations, Harsco also agreed to change the way it processes that slag. The company agreed to change its current water-quenching process to an air-cooled process. Harsco and ACHD also agreed to stipulated penalties and a number of deadlines related to requirements spelled out in the order. According to the consent order, the company is required to: Submit an installation permit for the new air-cooled process to ACHD within 90 days of the agreement’s effective date. Commence slag processing in the new building within 15 months of the agreement’s effective date or 60 days from the issuance of the installation permit. Cease operations of the current water-quenching process no later than 90 days from the commencement of in-building slag processing “to allow shakedown of the new air-cooled slag process.” Continue operating and maintaining emissions control equipment at the current slag facility “with good air pollution control practices and pursuant to the compliance plan submitted to ACHD on June 28, 2018.” The History Between GASP & Harsco—and Our Reaction to the Recent Order In October 2017, GASP sent Harsco a notice of intent to sue under the Clean Air Act based on Harsco’s failure to have submitted an application for a Title V Operating Permit to ACHD. Harsco submitted such an application in January 2018. ACHD’s action on that application has been delayed pending the enforcement activity that culminated in this most recent order. “After many failed attempts by Harsco to control emissions of dust from its operations, ACHD has taken strong action by requiring that Harsco enclose those operations in a building,” said John Baillie, GASP’s senior attorney.  “We hope that these new measures will provide Harsco’s neighbors with relief from the dust emissions that have plagued their neighborhood for so many years.” Editor’s Note: You can read the entire order here. #TitleV #ATI #JohnBaillie #Harsco #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #airquality

Mark your calendars, because we want to formally invite you to a discussion about the Green New Deal hosted by Sunrise Pittsburgh slated for this Sunday, Jan. 26. GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini will be among those speaking at the event, which is the second in a series and that will include discussion of climate change and pollution in our region. Other presenters will include Zachary Barber of Penn Environment and Jay Ting Walker of Clean Air Council. Attendees can expect discussion about policy, as well as the systemic changes needed to support a healthy environment and atmosphere—and to repair the harm done to front-line communities. Organizers suggest participants to arrive at about 4:30 p.m. for refreshments. The presentations begin at 5 p.m. (they also suggest bringing your own plate, silverware, and cup). The discussion will be held at the Human Service Building downtown. There is plenty of free parking in the back of the building. Please note that the only entrance is off Fort Pitt Boulevard. When you arrive at the gate at that entrance, press the intercom and tell security that you are there for the Green New Deal discussion. If security doesn’t answer, attendees are asked to call 412-518-7378. #ClimateChange #RachelFilippini

This week, GASP Senior Attorney John Baillie submitted comments on pending RACT (Reasonably Available Control Technology) and Title V operating permits for two industrial operators: PPG Industries, Inc. in Springdale, and the Bellefield Boiler Plant in Oakland. By way of background, ACHD’s regulations define “Reasonably Available Control Technology” to mean “any pollution control equipment, process modifications, operating and maintenance standards, or other apparatus or techniques which may reduce emissions and which (ACHD) determines is available for use by the source.” In considering the necessity for obtaining those emission reductions, ACHD looks at the “social and economic impact of such reductions, and the availability of alternative means of providing for the attainment and maintenance of (health-based air quality standards).” For those who aren’t familiar: A Title V permit is required for major, stationary sources of air pollution that have the potential to emit at least 100 tons per year of any air pollutant, 10 tons per year of any single hazardous air pollutant, or 25 tons per year of any combination of hazardous air pollutants. You can read our comments on the PPG permits here. You can read our comments on the Bellefield Boiler Plant here. #TitleV #installationpermit #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #airquality

Sometimes what you don’t know can hurt you. Such is the case with radon exposure. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but it could be present at dangerous levels in your home. Radon should be on the radar of every Pennsylvanian, in particular. Why? Exposure to radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in the state. It is also the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in the United States – causing more than 21,000 deaths nationwide. And it’s worse in the Keystone State: 40 percent of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels above the Environmental Protection Agency’s action guideline of 4 picocuries per liter. Let us back up for a minute to explain that radon occurs naturally during the breakdown of uranium in the ground and enters homes through cracks in the foundation or other openings. Pennsylvania’s geology makes some locations throughout the state hotbeds for radon, which puts residents at risk. The good news? Determining whether you have a radon problem is simple and relatively inexpensive. And since January is Radon Action Month, we figured today is as good as any to talk about how. While folks can hire a state-certified company to test radon levels, they can also do it themselves: Test canisters can be purchased at most hardware or home improvement stores for about $25. Those who go the DIY route should conduct the test in the basement, where radon levels are generally highest. For those who are unfamiliar with radon testing: You simply open the canister and set it in the basement, let it sit open for a few days, and then close it up and mail it to the laboratory listed on the label. Pro tip: Winter is the best time to test because doors and windows are closed, which provides more accurate results. If the results indicate a radon level of more than 4 picocuries per liter of air (the action level established by the EPA), it’s recommended that you implement a radon-reduction system. By way of background, these systems generally involve the installation of a pipe and exhaust fan to vent the gas outdoors. While this remediation could be costly, experts say that mitigating a radon leak may make the future sale of your home a bit easier. But radon exposure isn’t just an issue in homes. According to a nationwide survey, one out of five schools has at least one classroom with high, short-term radon levels. While the EPA recommends all schools nationwide be tested for radon, to date, only about 20 percent of schools have done so. This issue prompted 11 states to implement laws regarding radon exposure in schools. Pennsylvania, however, is not among them. To find out more about radon in schools (and what you can do to spur action at your child’s school), check out this great resource from our friends at Women for a Healthy Environment. Want to learn more? DEP has posted radon tips on Facebook and Twitter and is airing a public service announcement on TV and radio throughout the month – check them out. #radon

Air quality and…puppets? Yes and yes! GASP was proud to be among the guests this past Friday at Glitter Box Theater on Melwood Avenue for the second episode of Pittsburgh Puppet Radio—one that centered on the subject of air quality in our region. The show featured puppets and orchestration by Dave English, music by Middle Children, and participation from some of the most fascinating denizens of this the steeliest of cities. As promised, there was weird experimental music, dancing puppets, local politicians, scientists, artists, maniacs, party tricks, and other fun stuff. Our executive director, Rachel Filippini, said she had a blast at being interviewed by host (and puppet) Mr. Funfangles. “This was unlike any other air quality event I’ve been a part of,” she said. “It was such a blast.” You can learn more about Pittsburgh Puppet Radion on its Facebook page. #airquality #PittsburghPuppetRadio #RachelFilippini

Residents and local officials packed into a Robert Morris University Island Sports Center meeting room Wednesday to discuss and help develop a vision for the reuse of the former Shenango Coke Works site in Neville Township. Residents heard from various speakers during the more than two-hour meeting, where they had an opportunity to review artist renderings, ask questions and provide input. Redevelopment of the former Shenango site has the potential to economically and environmentally impact more than 18,000 residents combined in Neville Township, Avalon, Ben Avon, Bellevue and Emsworth—and as many as 70,000 Pennsylvania residents living within a three-mile radius of the site. Members of the Shenango Reimagined Advisory Council held the event in conjunction with the Delta Group, a firm specializing in the redevelopment of brownfield sites that received grant funding. Delta Institute spearheaded the effort and convened the regional group—one that met several times over the past year to create guiding principles for the revisioning of the site, as well as a list of 20 possible future uses. Those guiding principles call for a green, sustainable redevelopment of the site. The group stressed that they wanted to prioritize uses that had low or medium impacts on the environment. Two things were made clear: Fracking was not a welcome use of the site, and a company requiring a Title V air quality permit was not desired. Organizers noted that Neville Township is already home to four businesses that require a Title V. For those who are unfamiliar: Title V permits are required for major sources of emissions – companies that have the potential to emit at least 100 tons per year of any air pollutant, 10 tons per year of any single hazardous air pollutant, or 25 tons per year of any combination of hazardous air pollutants. One member of the advisory council, Dan Lenz, told attendees that while jobs and economic development is an important factor when considering the site’s reuse, “we cannot forget about the environmental impact.” He added that the current owner of the former Shenango property, DTE Energy, which asked for updates on the process as it proceeded. The company also requested a copy of the final report. Various public officials from nearby communities attended the meeting, as did several county and state representatives. Absent, though, were any officials from Neville Island, to the chagrin of township residents in attendance there. Event organizers asked attendees to get and stay involved, to call and write their representatives to tell them that an environmentally friendly reuse of the site was paramount. “Thank you for coming,” a Delta representative told those gathered. “Please use your voice.” A final revisioning report is expected to be issued Feb. 28. Those who would like to provide feedback, obtain more information on the process, or be placed on the group’s email list are asked to contact Margaret Renas at mrenas@delta-institute. Editor’s Note: Shenango Coke Works shut down operations in 2016 following emissions issues at the site and associated legal action—some of which GASP initiated. #NevilleIsland #ShenangoCokeWorks #ShenangoReimaginedAdvisoryCouncil #TitleV

UPDATE: Allegheny County Health Department’s Air Quality Program Monday evening issued this air quality update through the county’s Allegheny Alert system: Preliminary data recorded on Sunday at the Liberty monitor showed a 24-hour PM2.5 average of 36, which is above the EPA 24-hour standard of 35. This data is not verified and will go through EPA’s filter analysis to determine the final average. If there was a PM2.5 exceedance, it will be addressed via ACHD’s State Implementation Plan (SIP) for attainment. We are also aware that the Lawrenceville PM2.5 monitor has been generating inaccurate data since Sunday afternoon. We are troubleshooting those issues and will provide an update when this monitor is back to normal operations. As we have previously advised, the Health Department monitors temperature inversions and is in contact with industries during inversion periods to ensure compliance with existing permit limits. Improving air quality remains a high priority, and we will continue to implement forward-thinking policies and practices designed to reduce pollution and protect public health. – Jim Kelly, Deputy Director of Environmental Health For a second consecutive day Monday, Allegheny County residents endured some of the worst air quality in the nation according to data maintained at AirNow.gov, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website that tracks the Air Quality Index (AQI) throughout the United States. But as is entirely too often the case, the burden of that air pollution was felt most acutely by residents in and near the Mon Valley more than anywhere else in the county. In fact, only data from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) monitor located in Liberty Borough caused AQI values to push into the red “unhealthy” range on both Sunday and Monday. AQI values in the red indicate that everyone in the area could begin to experience health effects—and that members of sensitive groups (i.e.: folks with respiratory or cardiovascular issues) could experience more serious health effects. In addition, another pollutant all too familiar to Mon Valley residents – hydrogen sulfide (H2S) – ended the day Sunday at twice the Pennsylvania state air quality standard of 0.005 ppm. H2S levels were so bad Monday morning that the 24-hour average is guaranteed to exceed the standard again today. For those who are unfamiliar, coke-making is the primary source of H2S in Allegheny County and U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works is not only the largest emitter in the county but the entire state. “The most recent bouts of bad air quality underscore the need for stricter coke oven regulations,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “We again call on the Allegheny County Health Department to make revising them a top priority. The longer this process is drawn out, the longer people in the Liberty-Clairton area will suffer.” An additional concern is that the AQI forecast for Sunday published on AirNow.gov was for “good” air quality—somewhere near 12 ug/m3—but the 24-hr average pm2.5 at Liberty exceeded 35 ug/m3, a threshold Allegheny County must stay below 98 percent of the time to meet federal air quality standards. GASP believes this underscores the need for more air monitoring in the area so we can better pinpoint the source(s) of the pollution, better understand meteorological effects on pollution, and ultimately reduce pollution levels in the ambient air. While GASP applauds ACHD’s draft plan to use more than $300,000 from the Clean Air Fund to fund monitoring activities, we remain concerned that the Air Quality Program might have insufficient resources to effectively do its job. “We have said it before and we want to say it again: Air quality is a crucial public health issue that needs to be of paramount concern not only to the health department, but county council and our chief executive,” Filippini said. “GASP is again calling on Rich Fitzgerald to join residents and environmental groups in calling for better funding for the program. GASP last week called on the department to seek a grant for additional air quality monitoring through an EPA program—a call we are renewing today.” But more monitors alone won’t resolve the issues. “Part of ACHD’s role is to help keep local communities informed about these very kinds of public health issues. We encourage the Air Quality Program to arm residents with the information they need to make educated decisions during days where air quality is expected to be poor—even on the weekend and on holidays,” she said. GASP communicated with ACHD staff last week regarding missing wind data from the Liberty monitor station but ACHD has yet to provide a timeline for restoring that data. In addition, wind data ceased being published at the South Fayette monitor with no public notice and critical hourly pm2.5 data form the Lawrenceville monitor has been erratic over the past few days. “We wish the health department would be more proactive when it comes to these issues instead of waiting for someone to notice,” Filippini said. “At a time when residents are clamoring for more and better information on air quality issues, proactive communication seems like a no brainer.” For those who would like to take a deeper dive into the data, we created these graphs. Check them out: #PM25 #cokeovenregulations #H2S #airpollution #hydrogensulfide #USSteel #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks #airquality