A public hearing on the proposed Settlement Agreement between U.S. Steel and the Allegheny County Health Department regarding emissions issues at the company’s Clairton Coke Works is slated for July 30—giving affected residents, environmentalists, and other interested parties an opportunity to have their say. Here at GASP, part of our mission is educational in nature. A very important part of our job as an educator and watchdog is ensuring that our members and friends are armed with the information they need to feel comfortable speaking out on issues that are complex and somewhat technical. We get that standing up in public and delivering timed comments can be nerve-wracking. That’s why we put together this guide, which will walk you through: What you need to know about the agreement. What parts of the agreement GASP and others are hopeful will help improve local air quality. What parts we have concerns about—ones we believe you might share. How the public hearing will be conducted, and guidelines for delivering a comment verbally. How to submit a written comment to ACHD if you cannot attend the hearing. Sample language to make your comments—whether they are delivered verbally or via email or snail mail—easier to prepare. What You Need to Know About the Agreement The proposed agreement between U.S. Steel and ACHD was announced June 28. The agreement addresses three enforcement orders and one administrative order that ACHD issued to U.S. Steel in 2018 and 2019 (see chart below). While the agreement requires U.S. Steel to implement an emissions assessment and reduction plan that was submitted in 2018, it also includes new requirements. The terms of the agreement call for myriad improvements to the plant. They include: Repairs to batteries and improved battery operations designed to reduce fugitive and stack emissions Installation of air curtains for Battery B. Air curtains are designed to improve the capture of fugitive emissions. Not sure what fugitive emissions are? No worries—here’s a primer. Repairs to Battery 15’s oven walls in an effort to reduce leaks. Improvements s to the baghouse filters for batteries 13, 14, 15, 19 and 20, which would help reduce emissions of particulate matter. Replacement of Battery 15 stack—the new stack will be taller to increase the dispersal of emissions. The rebuild of end flues for batteries 1, 2, and 3, which will also help reduce leaks. The agreement also calls for increased transparency from U.S. Steel. It requires: An annual audit of U.S. Steel by a third-party coke oven and air pollution control performance firm. Expand its environmental improvement program—one that emphasizes to employees the importance of environmental performance—and include regular reports on achievements. Enhance transparency of both operations and maintenance procedures with regular reporting to ACHD. The agreement also includes community benefit provisions. Here’s how it breaks down: U.S. Steel will pay all fines related to the 2018 and 2019 enforcement orders —$2.73 million. Of that money, 90 percent (or about $2.46 million) will go into a community benefit trust for impacted communities. The remaining 10 percent (or about $273,250) will be earmarked for ACHD’s Clean Air Fund The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Unknowns Since the June 28 unveiling of the agreement, GASP staff has given an exhaustive review of the terms of the agreement, and have concluded that there are parts of it that are good, parts we have concerns about, and parts that we believe lack appropriate data, information, or explanation. Let’s start with the good stuff: We are supportive of planned investments and upgrades to U.S. Steel’s facilities, and are hopeful that the improvements will lead to increased compliance with air quality regulation that would ultimately translate into cleaner air for residents and workers alike. We are generally supportive of increased transparency efforts. We are generally supportive of the lion’s share of the fine money being earmarked for projects that benefit the communities most impacted by the ongoing air quality issues related to the company’s compliance deficiencies. That all said, we have some concerns: The Settlement Agreement could be used to try to prevent ACHD from promulgating new regulations that are needed to reduce pollution from the plant. The Settlement Agreement proposes to create a Community Advisory Panel but gives them no authority or defined role other than to meet regularly. The Agreement does not include any requirement that U.S. Steel or ACHD act on the community members’ findings or concerns. The Settlement Agreement does not specify the criteria for the projects that will be funded by Community Benefit Trust. The individual projects do not need to be defined at this point but the Agreement must require that the projects will follow ACHD’s guidance on supplemental environmental projects. The Settlement Agreement named the communities of Clairton, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln, and Port Vue as “beneficiaries” of the Trust but failed to define the parties within those communities that will be able to propose projects or seek benefits directly. Will it include community groups, school districts, municipal governments, health care providers, private businesses, etc.? Other essential details of the Trust are missing such as the entity that will administer it, the method of dolling out the benefits, target dates for beginning the process, and how the trust will operate as funds run low. This Agreement follows decades of similar agreements that were intended to solve emissions issues at the Clairton Works but failed. Coke batteries that were slated to be closed in prior settlement agreements are still operating. ACHD cannot assure the affected communities that agreements alone will get Clairton Coke into compliance. About the Public Hearing (And How to Sign Up to Speak) The public hearing is slated for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30 at the Clairton Municipal Building, but those who wish to deliver a public comment verbally must sign up to do so by Monday, July 29. Each speaker will have 3 minutes to deliver their comments. Signing up is easy. You can either: Call ACHD at 412-578-8103, or Email aq.comments@alleghenycounty.us and aqcomments@alleghenycounty.us to let them know you’d like to speak at the event (include your name and mailing address) Just as a note: This public hearing is designed to obtain public comment. ACHD noted that it is not a time for back-and-forth, and no questions will be taken or answered. Some Help Prepping Your Comments We know: That was a LOT of info but don’t worry too much about all the technical details. The most important thing you’ll add to this process is you. Only you can speak to how Clairton Coke has impacted you, your family, and your community. ACHD and U.S. Steel need to hear how you feel this Settlement Agreement will affect you. If you’re still stymied over what to say in your comments—written or verbal—here’s some sample language that might help you. Comments can be delivered via snail mail by addressing them to Allegheny County Health Department Air Quality, 301 39th Street, Bldg #7, Pittsburgh, PA 15201-1811. They can be faxed to 412-578-8144 or emailed to aqcomments@alleghenycounty.us. Comments are due July 31. Dear Allegheny County Health Department, My name is ____________. I am a resident of ____________ and I am writing today to formally comment on the settlement agreement between U.S. Steel and the Allegheny County Health Department. I believe we all deserve clean air, and that people who live in Clairton and surrounding communities have for too long had to endure illegal emissions from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. While I am supportive of the terms of the agreement that call for U.S. Steel to: pay a more than $2.7 million fine, with 90 percent of that money being earmarked for a trust to benefit Clairton and surrounding communities make significant plant and equipment upgrades designed to decrease energy consumption and increase compliance with clean air regulations increase transparency by agreeing to an independent, third-party audit of their facilities and coke-making operations However, I also have concerns about many parts of the agreement, including: A lack of clarity regarding the role and authority of the proposed Community Advisory Panel, and the fact that there is no requirement that U.S. Steel and/or ACHD actually act on its recommendations. A lack of clarity over how projects can and will be funded through the proposed Community Trust. I believe that projects funded through this trust should follow ACHD’s guidelines on supplemental environmental projects. While the agreement lists the communities that will benefit from the proposed Community Trust, it fails to define who in the community will be able to propose projects or seek benefits directly. The agreement also fails to identify other key information related to the trust, such as who will administer it, and how the money in the trust will be doled out. The agreement follows decades of similar agreements intended to resolve emissions issues at the Clairton Works but failed. Coke batteries that were slated to be closed in prior settlement agreements are still operating. ACHD cannot assure the affected communities that agreements alone will get Clairton Coke into compliance. The agreement could be used to try to prevent ACHD from promulgating new regulations that are needed to reduce pollution from the plant, which is a huge concern. I encourage ACHD to continue to demand that U.S. Steel comply with clean air regulations and continue to take strong enforcement actions in the future should compliance slip in the future. Thank you, (Your Signature) #publichearing #airpollution #USSteel #settlementagreement #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks #airquality

Last week, GASP, Clean Water Action, and Pittsburgh United were joined by several local physicians and a number of other organizations representing labor, environment, health, and faith to call on Pittsburgh City Council to take back up the Clean Air Act of 2010. The Clean Air Act of 2010 is clean construction legislation that would require contractors and construction companies working on large, publicly subsidized projects to utilize cleaner construction equipment. The focus of the press conference was to let City Council members know that they’d be receiving a letter supporting passage of the Clean Air Act signed by 35 local medical professionals. The letter pointed out that diesel pollution creates serious public health hazards. Diesel exhaust contains over 40 toxic air contaminants, carcinogens, ozone-forming elements, as well as fine particulate matter (“soot”). Exposure to fine particles causes asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer, strokes, and premature deaths. Cleaning up construction equipment emissions is a vital strategy in protecting the public from the dangers of diesel exhaust. Nationwide, there are over 2 million pieces of construction equipment in use, and most lack pollution controls. In Allegheny County emissions from construction vehicles make up a considerable portion of the county’s diesel pollution. We all know Pittsburgh’s air quality continues to be some of the dirtiest in the nation, with especially high levels of fine particulates from both stationary and mobile sources of pollution. Reducing diesel emissions is something the City of Pittsburgh can do to help clean up our region’s poor air quality. Learn more about the Clean Construction legislation here. #pittsburghairpollution #airpollution #Pittsburghairquality #emissions #CleanConstruction #dieselemissions #airquality

Did you know that GASP assists residents in getting certified as citizen smoke readers to make observations of those worrisome neighborhood plumes? Those smoke readers - aided by GASP’s longtime project manager Sue Seppi - have been out in force this fall to keep an eye on two of our area’s most egregious air polluters: U.S. Steel in the Mon Valley and Metalico in Neville Township. For the uninitiated, citizen smoke readers are volunteers who are trained and certified to recognize and understand: visible emissions from smokestacks what opacity violations look like and how to file reports with the Allegheny County Health Department “Smoke reading is a great way for residents to take action in their own communities by observing the facilities that are of concern to them,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “Observations by our volunteers increase regulatory scrutiny on polluters, as government inspectors can’t be at every facility at all times.” And that was exactly the case following outings in September, October, and November when Sue went out to smoke read with GASP volunteers Melanie Meade and Erin Mallea (both of whom earned their certifications this year): High-opacity plumes emanating from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility were observed and reported to ACHD on Sept. 28, Oct. 18, and Oct. 28. Here’s what Sue reported to ACHD about the Clairton plumes following their last visit to the Mon Valley: “The brownish plumes seem to be coming from the same area and fairly consistent over the time period I was there and at all three visits,” Seppi said in her report to ACHD. “What are these plumes that have been there on all three visits? This is quite a lot of smoke and we are always seeing it. Our question is what is the cause of these high opacity plumes--is it legal. I realize soaking may be legal but these plumes seem so persistent and not seen elsewhere except for the one mentioned. Please explain. Thank you.” ACHD staff responded to the complaint to indicate the department was investigating. No further information was immediately available. Sue was also helping a prospective smoke reader to prepare for Smoke School in the spring by reviewing procedures while observing plumes at Metalico Pittsburgh Neville Recycling. They noted some fairly high opacity plumes during this session. Here are some photos taken during their practice session and later submitted to ACHD: Editor’s Note: Did you know a $65 donation covers the cost of one GASP smoke reading trip to #Clairton? You can support our watchdog efforts like these by making a donation here. PS: Interested in becoming a smoke reader? Email sue@gasp-pgh.org for more information.

The Allegheny County Health Department announced Friday that it has issued $458,225 in stipulated penalties against U.S. Steel for Article 21 Air Pollution Control violations that occurred at the Clairton Coke Works during the first quarter of 2022. Here’s what the department said in a press release: Pursuant to the Department’s agreement reached with U.S. Steel in June of 2019, 90 percent of penalties ($412,402.50) will be paid to the Community Benefit Trust for impacted communities while the remaining 10 percent ($45,822.50) will be paid to the Clean Air Fund. In March 2022, ACHD issued $859,300 in stipulated penalties against U.S. Steel for violations that occurred at the Clairton Coke Works during the last three quarters of 2021. To view this enforcement action and other air quality enforcement actions issued by ACHD, click here. Editor’s Note: GASP staff is reviewing the enforcement action and will update this blog with more information and media links. Until then, you can read more about the mentioned 2019 settlement agreement here. You can learn more about the mentioned Community Benefit Trust here.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Thursday announced that scrap metal processor Metalico was awarded a nearly $500,000 grant to upgrade equipment: The money will be used to replace one older diesel material handler and one older diesel material loader with a new all-electric handler and a new clean-diesel loader at its facility on Neville Island. The project annually will remove an estimated 5.25 tons of NOx, 52 tons of carbon monoxide, 596 pounds of PM2.5, 400 tons of CO2, and other pollutants from the air. According to the release, the project annually will remove an estimated 5.25 tons of NOx, 52 tons of carbon monoxide, 596 pounds of PM2.5, 400 tons of CO2, and other pollutants from the air. “This is such welcome news and we don’t know if it would have happened without the pressure our friends at Allegheny County Clean Air Now have applied over the past few years to Metalico top brass, as well as the Allegheny County Health Department,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “They have really gone to bat for residents who live and work near the facility, demanding that the company clean up its act and demanding regulators step up inspections and enforcement activity.” He added: “Hopefully the equipment upgrades will help assuage some of the air quality issues ACCAN has documented over the years and residents can finally get some relief from the seemingly ever-present emissions episodes at the scrap yard.” The press release announcing the grant was part of a larger initiative launched by DEP called, “Electrifying Truck Fleets for Cleaner Air in Our Communities.” The $12.7 million Driving PA Forward initiative is expected to improve air quality by supporting local freight truck electrification. Projects serving environmental justice areas, high traffic density areas, and Act 47 financially distressed municipalities are a top priority for funding. Grant funding is available to local governments, businesses, and nonprofits to replace at least five old diesel trucks with new all-electric versions. (For smaller fleets, an exception may be made to support three electric trucks.) Funding will cover local freight trucks, such as garbage, recycling, utility, and delivery trucks, as well as charging infrastructure and installation. Grantees will have two years to scrap their old diesel vehicles and get the new electric truck fleets on the road. Why is this significant? Consider this: Fossil fuel-powered vehicles emit 50.2 percent of NOx in the air in Pennsylvania, according to EPA data, as well as carbon monoxide, fine particulate matter, and hydrocarbons. The health effects of this air pollution include premature death in people with heart or lung disease; heart attacks; aggravated asthma; and increased respiratory symptoms, such as coughing or difficulty breathing. As of 2019, approximately one in eight children and one in six adults in Pennsylvania reported an asthma diagnosis at some point in their lifetime. This is higher than the national per capita asthma rate. Generating 22% of CO2 emissions statewide, fossil fuel-powered vehicles are also the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania, contributing significantly to climate change. Electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions. By comparison, on average, one 15-year-old diesel garbage truck traveling approximately 14,000 miles annually will have emitted more than 1.1 tons of NOx over its lifetime. There are thousands of old diesel garbage trucks in use in Pennsylvania.

Today we’re shouting CONGRATULATIONS at the top of our lungs to Zelda Curtiss, one of GASP’s longtime board members who was recently honored as a Volunteer of the Year by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. “This honor likely came as no surprise to anyone who knows Zelda. She is a treasure,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “Her warmth, kindness, and energy are contagious, and we are so fortunate to have her as part of our team here at GASP.” Here’s what the Jewish Community Center had to say about our Zelda: The JCC is proud to honor Zelda Curtiss as a Volunteer of the Year. "Zelda is a servant-leader in the Center for Loving Kindness and AgeWell at the JCC," Rabbi Ron Symons said. "You can find her at the center of an UPstander project, deeply immersed in true dialogue with neighbors and/or helping neighbors understand the value of diverse community." Zelda is a role model who describes herself as "absolutely supportive" of the JCC's mission in serving the community. Retired after 29 years as an attorney with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, she feels fortunate for the influences of her late mother, who never dwelled on the negative, and her late husband, Dr. Edward Curtiss, who as dean of admissions at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine appreciated the increasing diversity of the student body. “We have a responsibility to help others, no matter your limitations,” she said.

Your friends at GASP wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all your support this week. With your help, we raised more than $2,000 on Giving Tuesday - money that will go directly to support our advocacy, education, and watchdog work. Our Executive Director Patrick Campbell wanted to say a few words of thanks, too: Editor’s Note: Giving Tuesday might be over, but it’s not too late to make a tax-deductible donation to support our work. Just click here if you want to kick in a few bucks for the cause.

Last week was one of excess for those in and around the Mon Valley, but not for the Thanksgiving-related reasons you might think: sadly, excess air pollution caused residents to grapple with abysmal air quality over the holiday break. In summary, concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exceeded national health-based standards at the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) air quality monitor in Liberty Borough three days in a row while levels of hydrogen sulfide (AKA H2S, that rotten egg odor you likely know all too well) exceeded the state standard six straight days. For a less-quick, more-detailed recap, we need to go back a full week. Air quality wasn’t great last Monday, and it got worse as the week proceeded. By Tuesday afternoon, both ACHD and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) predicted air quality would continue this downward trend and shared their concerns publicly: ACHD issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Watch, and DEP declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for PM2.5 – both for Wednesday in the Mon Valley. As a reminder, Mon Valley Air Pollution Watches and Warnings are issued as part of the county’s Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule, which was designed to reduce PM2.5 levels during prolonged periods of poor air quality. Under the new rule, ACHD staff monitor weather forecasts and atmospheric conditions that could lead to an “episode” (i.e., when meteorological conditions are likely to contribute to unacceptable air pollution levels in the Mon Valley for a day or more). A Watch is issued when these conditions are likely, and a Warning is issued when these conditions occur. Early Wednesday, ACHD upgraded its Watch to a Warning, but that was a bit late by our calculations; PM2.5 crossed the “threshold” value necessary for a Warning around 10 p.m. Tuesday. When ACHD issues a Warning – as it did last week and for a span of four days last month – sources of PM2.5 emissions within a defined Mon Valley area subject to the new rule are required to follow approved mitigation plans to reduce their emissions of particulate matter. We have a great explainer with info on the rule and all the facilities subject to it. You can check that out here. Later on Wednesday – while those Warning plans were in place – ACHD extended its Mon Valley Warning into Thanksgiving and DEP declared a second Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for PM2.5 for the same day. ACHD again extended the Warning through Friday, and downgraded it to a Watch through Saturday - but by then the worst of the air quality has passed. In the end, PM2.5 at ACHD’s monitor in Liberty Borough exceeded national health-based standards on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but PM2.5 wasn’t the only pollutant of concern during this period of poor air quality: Levels of stinky old H2S exceeded Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average standard six straight days (from Tuesday through Sunday). It’s also worth noting that concentrations of H2S exceeded PA’s 24-hour average standard on Wednesday at ACHD’s air quality monitor in Braddock Borough. A quick word about H2S: It’s a colorless gas recognizable by its rotten egg odor and the concentrations we see in the Mon Valley can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, or throat as well as headaches, poor memory, tiredness, and balance problems. It may also cause difficulty in breathing for some asthmatics, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. This latest bout of poor air quality highlights two issues that we believe should be on ACHD’s to-do list: The department must examine the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule implementation to determine its effectiveness and ensure it protects public health. The department must do more to stop the onslaught of H2S exceedances in the Mon Valley. ACHD leaders have, in the past, treated H2S as a quality-of-life issue and downplayed its impact on the health and well-being of local residents. After six straight days of stench and H2S concentrations known to have health impacts, residents deserve better. “We know that ACHD issued an enforcement order against U.S. Steel related to H2S violations at its Clairton Coke Works facility this past March, but what have they done since?” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell asked. “People who live and work in the Mon Valley and downwind of it need to know the people charged with protecting their health are being as proactive as possible to stem this ongoing issue.” Editor’s Note: We will continue to keep an eye on the data and keep you posted. In the meantime, we graphed recent H2S and PM2.5 concentrations at the Liberty monitor for those who’d like to take a deeper dive into the data:

This Giving Tuesday, we want to be upfront with the reality of air quality advocacy: It remains largely a David vs. Goliath endeavor. On one side, you have the multi-million dollar and sometimes even multi-billion-dollar companies with their slick corporate attorneys and exorbitant public relations budgets. On the other side, you have residents and groups like GASP. That’s not us being all doom and gloom - we know who we are: A watchdog organization that’s always thrived in the underdog role. Despite our small team and modest budget, your support over the years has allowed us to wield outsized influence to help improve regional air quality and hold both polluters and regulators accountable. And we want to keep on doing what we do best. We know there are SO MANY outstanding local nonprofit organizations seeking your support. So we’re serving up six reasons we think you should consider supporting the gang here at GASP: Our work gets action + answers. After years of demanding information and action and thousands of odor complaints, ACHD in March revealed the source of sky-high hydrogen sulfide concentrations at its Liberty air quality monitor that regularly exceeded Pennsylvania’s regulatory standard and impacted residents’ health and quality of life: U.S. Steel’s coking operations in Clairton. In March, the department published a comprehensive air quality study detailing its research and issued a $1.8 million enforcement action against the Mon Valley steelmaker. We help equip residents with the knowledge they need to speak out about air quality issues. We know air quality issues are complex and the public comment process can be confusing. That’s why we take great care to break down complex issues into plain language in our watchdog blogs. This year, hundreds of residents used our online forms to submit comments on local issues like the proposed consent decree calling for extensive improvements to U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson facility to broader issues like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We launched a new, more user-friendly website. We streamlined our site and added new bells and whistles to allow us to better communicate action alerts, events, and news. We’re hosting air quality “boot camps” for municipal officials so they can better serve YOU. Thanks to a grant from the Pennsylvania DEP, we’ve crafted an educational primer that addresses all things air quality. And we’re taking it on the road to air quality “boot camps” for municipal officials in Allegheny and surrounding counties. The EPA awarded us funding to expand local citizen air quality monitoring and fill in data gaps. GASP is teaming up with six fellow environmental groups to help solve that environmental justice issue locally thanks to a nearly $500,000 EPA grant. The project is expected to enhance ambient air quality monitoring in communities that are underserved, historically marginalized, and overburdened by pollution. We can’t wait to get started. You can depend on us. We care 24/7. And we hope we prove that to you every single day. From our daily social media posts and blogs to our weekly newsletter, you can depend on GASP to be among the first to tell you about everything from alerts regarding periods of abysmal air quality to opportunities to speak out on important permits and regulations. If you are able to make a donation, please know that we are so appreciative. As always, those who would like to make a donation through the Give Big Pittsburgh platform can do so here you can also feel free to make a donation on our website. If you have questions, our member services manager Kathy Lawson can give you a hand, just email her at kathy@gasp-pgh.org to set up a time. We can’t say it enough: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. Supporters like you have helped GASP to be here for the long haul. With your help, we’re looking forward to making even more strides for clean air in 2023. Yours for Clean Air, The GASP Gang

UPDATE #2 (4:31 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22): The state Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday afternoon declared Thursday, Nov. 23 a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for particulate matter. UPDATE #1 (2:40 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22): The Allegheny County Health Department issued the following message through its Allegheny Alerts system: The Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning will continue through at least the end of tomorrow, November 24. A strong weather inversion with light winds will permit fine particle matter pollution (PM2.5) to build overnight into Thursday morning. The highest PM2.5 concentrations will come between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m., leading to overall average concentrations in the CODE ORANGE range in the Mon Valley. Because of these conditions, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared tomorrow an Air Quality Action Day. The Air Quality Program will continue to monitor the situation and reassess conditions and provide more information to residents, as it becomes available. Young children, seniors, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities during this time. Foul air quality has returned to the Mon Valley this week with residents waking up Wednesday to surging concentrations of particulate matter and hydrogen sulfide, as well as a NowCast AQI of 164 indicating air quality reached a level the EPA classifies as unhealthy and which was, for a time, the very worst in the nation. But the trouble started yesterday when concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exceeded federal health-based standards at ACHD’s air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. Monitor data also showed levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exceeded Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average standard. As a reminder: H2S is a colorless gas recognizable by its rotten egg odor and the concentrations we see in the Mon Valley can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, or throat as well as headaches, poor memory, tiredness, and balance problems. It may also cause difficulty in breathing for some asthmatics, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Unfortunately, these abysmal air quality conditions are expected to persist today and tomorrow. Yesterday the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Watch while the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) declared today a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for particulate matter. By early Wednesday, ACHD upgraded the Watch to a Warning. Here’s the message ACHD sent through its Allegheny Alerts system: An Air Pollution Warning has been issued for the Mon Valley for today, November 23. The 24-hour PM2.5 standard for the Mon Valley has been exceeded at an official monitoring station in the Mon Valley. Young children, seniors, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities during this time. Companies most significantly contributing to particulate pollution in the Mon Valley region are required to temporarily reduce particulate emissions. As a reminder, Watches and Warnings are issued as part of the county’s Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule, which was designed to reduce PM2.5 levels during prolonged periods of poor air quality. Under the new rule, ACHD monitors weather forecasts and atmospheric conditions that could lead to an “episode” (i.e., when meteorological conditions are likely to contribute to unacceptable air pollution levels in the Mon Valley). A Watch is issued when these conditions are likely, and a Warning is issued when these conditions occur. When ACHD issues a Warning - as it did this morning and for a span of four days last month – sources of PM2.5 emissions within a defined Mon Valley area subject to the new rule are required to follow approved mitigation plans to reduce their emissions of particulate matter. We have a great explainer with info on the rule and all the facilities subject to it. You can check that out here. "We've heard from residents complaining of itchy eyes and throats and telling us that by early morning they had already needed tor each for their rescue inhalers," GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell told the Tribune-Review Wednesday. "It's truly a shame how often residents in the Liberty-Clairton area are confronted with unhealthy air quality. People are really suffering today." The GASP team is keeping an eye on the data and will keep you posted.