The Allegheny County Health Department on Tuesday issued an air quality update through the county’s Alert system indicating that preliminary data show that three ozone monitors in the county – Harrison, Lawrenceville, and South Fayette – experienced exeedances of the eight-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The eight-hour standard is .070 parts per million (ppm). Harrison registered .074 ppm and both Lawrenceville and South Fayette registered .071 ppm. This is the first exceedance at a county ozone monitor since July 10, 2018. There were no such exceedances in 2019, according to ACHD. “Ozone is overwhelmingly weather dependent, and exceedances are likely during periods of high temperatures and no precipitation, which we’ve had across the region over the past week. Given the current forecast there may be additional ozone exceedances this week,” ACHD officials wrote in the Alert. They continued: “Higher concentrations of ozone may cause breathing problems for the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with heart or respiratory disease. We encourage residents to view our Air Quality Dashboard for the latest ozone levels and remind the public to protect themselves and to help reduce air pollution by voluntarily limiting pollution-producing activities.” Those activities include: • Limit daytime driving. Combine trips when possible. • Don’t refuel. If you must, do so after 7 p.m. • Postpone mowing the lawn until after 7 p.m. • Save energy. Wash dishes and clothes with full loads. • Keep window shades/blinds closed during the day to cut down on air conditioning. #airquality

Cutting carbon dioxide pollution from power plants would save hundreds of lives and billions of dollars in Pennsylvania, according to new analysis from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Governor Tom Wolf has made reducing air pollution from power plants by participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) a top climate priority. Participating in the program would also drive up economic activity in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars and create tens of thousands of jobs, DEP officials said in a press release issued Wednesday. The analysis by DEP, using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methodology, shows that participating in RGGI could save the lives of 639 Pennsylvanians by 2030 thanks to lower carbon emissions as well as lower emissions of other air pollutants associated with electricity generation like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. In addition to saving lives, adults and children will have more opportunities to work and play without fear of respiratory complications. “We know that cleaner sources of energy are good for the environment, but this helps quantify the benefits to people’s health as well,” DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said in the release. “With more than 90,000 of our fellow Pennsylvanians diagnosed with COVID-19, which affects breathing among other things, it is even more clear that we must be doing more to eliminate air pollution. The data is clear that cutting air pollution by participating in RGGI will save people’s lives – full stop.” Economic modeling shows that participating in RGGI will lead to a net increase of more than 27,000 jobs and add $1.9 billion to the Gross State Product in Pennsylvania, according to DEP. The full analysis will be presented to the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) along with the rest of the regulatory analysis, which details the total costs and benefits of participating in RGGI. These estimates do not include jobs created as a result of investments of RGGI revenues. Pennsylvania is projected to receive more than $300 million a year in proceeds from RGGI auctions. The Wolf Administration intends to use these revenues to fund job creation and retention programs, including new workforce development opportunities, energy efficiency improvements for businesses and homeowners, economic support for communities affected by changing electricity generation and usage, and clean energy sources. Other health-related benefits include: More than $6 billion worth of health benefits through 2030 from reduced sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides pollution More than 45,000 fewer asthma attacks for children aged 6-18 More than 1,000 fewer cases of childhood bronchitis for children aged 8-12 DEP used EPA’s Incidence-Per-Ton (IPT) and Benefit-Per-Ton (BPT) methodology to determine the figures, as well as modeling data that was conducted for DEP. “An argument against reducing air pollution through RGGI is an argument for making people sick,” said McDonnell. “The benefits to communities that have fewer Code Orange Air Quality days to worry about, or to parents that won’t have to worry that they may need to take their kid to the emergency room for an asthma attack, cannot be understated.” #airpollution #GovTomWolf #RegionalGreenhouseGasInitiative #RGGI #DEP #airquality #carbondioxide

Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 10:14 a.m. Thursday, July 9 to include additional information sent out by the Allegheny County Health Department through an Alert. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership have declared Thursday, July 9 an Air Quality Action Day for ozone covering all of southwestern Pennsylvania. An Alert relaying this information issued by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) stated that “(a)n Air Quality Action Day is called when ground-level ozone and/or fine particulates are expected to exceed national health-based standards and may cause breathing problems for the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with heart or respiratory disease.” ACHD guidance states that “(o)pen burning and outdoor fires are NOT allowed in Allegheny County” when an Air Quality Action Day is declared. In addition, GASP and ACHD urge the public to protect themselves and their neighbors by helping to reduce air pollution during these declared Air Quality Action Days through voluntarily limiting pollution-producing activities, such as: Limit daytime driving. Combine trips when possible. Use public transit or rideshare. Walk or bicycle for short trips. Avoid prolonged idling and jackrabbit starts. Don’t refuel. If you must, do so after 7 p.m. Refuel carefully. Don’t top off your tank. Postpone mowing the lawn until after 7 p.m. Use latex instead of oil-based paint. Save energy. Wash dishes and clothes with full loads. Keep window shades/blinds closed during the day to cut down on air conditioning. Unfortunately, Allegheny County exceeded the national health-based standards three times already this week, according to initial data. ACHD earlier this week announced that preliminary data showed that three ozone monitors in the county – in Harrison, Lawrenceville, and South Fayette – experienced exceedances of the eight-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) on Monday. A GASP analysis of Allegheny County Health Department’s hourly air quality data indicates there was also an exceedance of the ozone standard at the Harrison monitor on Tuesday. Wednesday marked the third day in a row that ozone concentrations in Allegheny County exceeded the NAAQS limit, with preliminary data showing that the ozone concentration at both the Lawrenceville and Harrison monitoring sites from 12p – 8p was 0.071 ppm. ACHD on Thursday morning distributed an Alert that confirmed those exceedances. It read: ACHD has preliminary information that the Harrison ozone monitor had an exceedance of the 8-hour NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standards) on Tuesday, July 7 (.077) and Wednesday, July 8 (.071), and the Lawrenceville ozone monitor had an exceedance on Wednesday, July 8 (.071). The 8-hour standard is .070 parts per million. A reminder that today is a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone and there is the potential for additional ozone exceedances. Also, open burning and outdoor fires are NOT permitted today. #ozoneactionday #exceedance #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #DEP #ACHD #ozone #airquality

Editor’s Note: GASP on Aug. 26 delivered a petition signed by nearly 600 people and 16 local organizations calling for the Allegheny County Health Department to provide a substantive update on the ongoing emissions issues at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson plant. After complaints from concerned citizens and clean air groups over an opaque, reddish-brown plume billowing from U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant on the evening of June 17, the Allegheny County Health Department agreed to investigate this incident – which the company said was due to a faulty valve – as well as high levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) detected near the Braddock facility a week later. Unfortunately, as of the time of publication of this article, neither U.S. Steel nor ACHD has updated the public about steps being taken to address these recent incidents. This silence is all the more concerning in light of EPA data showing “high priority violations” over each of the past six quarters at Edgar Thomson, as well as Create Lab camera footage of the facility showing many instances of what are apparently heavy smoke emission episodes. One such incident appeared to have happened as recently as July 4. But that’s not the only update owed to local residents: They’ve also been waiting for more than two and half years to learn the outcome of a Notice of Violation and Noncompliance the Allegheny County Health Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivered to U.S. Steel in November 2017 covering violations at its Edgar Thomson facility. That notice stated that both ACHD and the EPA observed multiple violations of both county and federal rules at the Braddock facility from 2016 through July 2017. A November 2017 ACHD press release regarding the NOV stated in part: “The nature of the violations includes excessive visible emissions, failure to maintain equipment and failure to certify compliance with the plant’s Title V operating permit. To enhance the Health Department’s enforcement efforts, ACHD has actively engaged the EPA over the course of the last nine months. The EPA brings an expanded level of federal expertise, as well as additional enforcement capacity that will support stronger action by utilizing the Department of Justice and EPA’s capacity to enact more stringent penalties.” ACHD officials at the time said the cooperative effort would maximize resources to ensure the plant got back into compliance. In the release, then-ACHD director Dr. Karen Hacker said: “With EPA on board, our enforcement power is exponentially increased. These violations must stop*. U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant must come into compliance to improve the air quality for the health of all county residents. The health of our county is paramount*.” The 2017 notice of violation was expected to begin the process of determining the necessary penalties and eventual equipment improvements that would return the plant to compliance with federal and county air quality pollution requirements. Yet, here we are in the second half of 2020, and still no report has been issued by ACHD or EPA even hinting at steps being taken toward resolving the issues. The only available information on the progress of the compliance report – and what mitigation efforts will be undertaken by the steel-making giant to ensure that incidents like the ones on June 17 don’t happen again – is an ACHD “Compliance Status Report…current as of Jan. 1, 2020” indicating the Edgar Thomson Works is “Non-Compliant.” In full, it reads: “EPA worked with ACHD and issued a notice of violation on 11/9/2017; EPA (and DOJ), USS, and ACHD are working towards an agreement resolving multiple previous non-compliance issues. USS ET combusted non-compliant coke oven gas due to the USS Clairton fires which is a separate ongoing action.” This lack of transparency is why the Group Against Smog and Pollution is calling on ACHD and the EPA to provide a more substantive update. Because residents deserve better – and they’ve had enough. “We live with red smoke, black smoke, hazy skies and burnt, industrial, rotten egg smells. Our sleep is disrupted and our eyes and noses are irritated. Long term exposure hurts our hearts, lungs and brains and makes us more susceptible to viruses,” North Braddock resident Edith Abeyta said. “We have been waiting for change with our windows closed. It is time for the Allegheny County Health Department and the Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize clean air so we can open our windows and go outside.” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini agreed. “How much longer are our neighbors in Braddock and the surrounding communities expected to endure the conduct of U.S. Steel? How much longer will they be asked to trust the process?” she asked. “While people in the Mon Valley suffer from dirty air, U.S. Steel has been allowed to operate its Edgar Thomson facility unfettered for years even after a high-profile pronouncement from the health department that the issues there needed to stop.” Filippini continued: “If ACHD and the EPA want people to feel like they are putting the health of residents first, they actually have to follow through and take a stand. We’re still waiting for that.” *Emphasis added Editor’s Note: Here are some helpful links and resources for those who’d like a refresher on the 2017 NOV: The notice of violation document can be viewed here. U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Mill on Notice for Air Pollution, Equipment Violations, by Don Hopey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette U.S. Steel’s Braddock Plant Cited for Pollution Violations, by Sarah Boden or WESA U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant Cited Accused of Excessive Emissions, by Theresa Clift of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review #EdgarThomson #airpollution #USSteel #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #EPA #airquality

Concerns over poor air quality and recent emissions issues at U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works facilities dominated the public comments period of the Allegheny County Board of Health meeting Wednesday afternoon. Nearly 20 people submitted comments sharing their worry over poor air quality, including GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini, who expressed concern over a lack of transparency regarding recent emissions issues at the Edgar Thomson plant. She again called on Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) officials to provide a substantive update on how – and when – the facility will be forced to get back into compliance with county and federal air quality regulations. She noted that ACHD and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly issued a notice of violation to U.S. Steel back in 2017 following what officials called continued emissions issues at Edgar Thomson. Unfortunately, no information has been shared since then regarding what penalties and equipment upgrades would be required to get the facility back into compliance. “ACHD officials at the time said the cooperative effort with EPA would maximize resources to ensure the plant got back into compliance and that the NOV was the beginning of a process that would determine what penalties, as well as equipment and operational changes, would be required. Yet, here we are in the second half of 2020, and still, no report has been issued by ACHD or EPA. GASP is troubled by this lack of transparency, and we are calling on both agencies to provide more answers,” Filippini said in her comments. She continued: “Residents have had enough and they deserve better. While our neighbors in the Mon Valley continue to suffer from dirty air, U.S. Steel has been permitted to operate Edgar Thomson unfettered for years. If you want residents to feel like their health is of paramount importance, you must actually follow through and take action against industry polluters like U.S. Steel that regularly buck air pollution laws.” In his comments, Breathe Project Executive Director Matt Mehalik told the board that since its last meeting in May, the Clairton area has appeared in the top-5 list of U.S. cities with the worst air quality 25 times in 62 day – or about 40 percent of the time, according to data from AirNow.com, a website that tracks air quality nationally. Many residents who wrote in about air quality acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic and response required a full-court press from the health department, but stressed that air quality enforcement could no longer be put on the back burner. “Air quality has never been more important in the Steel Valley,” Allegheny County resident April Clisura said. Another commenter, Thaddeus Popovich – a Franklin Park resident and member of Allegheny County Clean Air Now (ACCAN) – told the board that “noxious” odors that have long pervaded his neighborhood has spurred him to move across the county to Berkeley, California. Resident Maylyn Torpey called on the department to prioritize air quality because the health of so many depends upon it. “I want to live a long, healthy life, but without climate action, I will not be able to,” she said. Longtime Clairton resident Art Thomas told the board about the myriad health issues his wife is facing – illnesses that he largely attributes to air pollution emanating from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. He described rancid odors and told the board he has to wear a mask in order to sleep at night. “It’s no fun getting old in Clairton,” he said. North Braddock resident Edith Abayta asked the board how much longer she’d have to wait for air quality to improve in her neighborhood – one that’s home to U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomas plant. “When do I get to breathe air that does not harm me?” she asked. In other business: The board voted to send revisions to the PM2.5 SIP – Motor Vehicle Emissions Budget to public comment. ACHD’s Director of Environmental Health said the public comment period would run from July 18 – Aug. 17. The draft will then go back before the board for adoption at its Sept. 2 meeting, when it will be forwarded to the state to submit to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The board approved a Clean Air Fund request from One Tree Per Child Pittsburgh in the amount of $99,995. About $64,000 of that money will go to purchase 1,200 trees. The program will reach 20 schools in five local districts. U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works plant manager told the board that an environmental audit conducted by a third-party took place June 26, and indicated that a final report will be submitted to ACHD late next month. The plant manager also reported that the company on June 30 submitted an application for an installation permit for the replacement PEC baghouses for Batteries 13-15 and 19-20 for improved capture and control of particulate matter. Both the audit and the installation of the baghouses were required by the 2019 settlement agreement between U.S. Steel and ACHD. #PM25 #airpollution #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #CleanAirFund #ClairtonCokeWorks #airquality

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership, Inc. have forecast a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Ozone on Saturday, July 18. An Air Quality Action Day is called when ground-level ozone and/or fine particulates are expected to exceed national health-based standards and may cause breathing problems for the elderly, children, pregnant women, and people with heart or respiratory disease. Open burning and outdoor fires ARE NOT allowed in Allegheny County on Air Quality Action Days. In addition, GASP and ACHD urge the public to protect themselves and their neighbors by helping to reduce air pollution during these declared Air Quality Action Days through voluntarily limiting pollution-producing activities, such as: Limit daytime driving. Combine trips when possible. Use public transit or rideshare. Walk or bicycle for short trips. Avoid prolonged idling and jackrabbit starts. Don’t refuel. If you must, do so after 7 p.m. Refuel carefully. Don’t top off your tank. Postpone mowing the lawn until after 7 p.m. Use latex instead of oil-based paint. Save energy. Wash dishes and clothes with full loads. Keep window shades/blinds closed during the day to cut down on air conditioning. #ACHD #airquality #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ozoneaction

Editor’s Note: The following was taken from a press release issued today by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). More than $2.1 million in 2019 Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants were awarded Monday – money that will fund 18 cleaner fuel vehicle projects statewide. DEP officials said the grants “will help improve air quality and public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change.” “We’re committed to helping Pennsylvanians breathe cleaner air at school, in their neighborhoods, and at their workplaces and to reducing climate change by putting more cleaner fuel vehicles in use around the state,” DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said in the release. Eighteen vehicle replacement projects located in 13 counties will put 82 cleaner fuel vehicles in use. They’re expected to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 1,349 metric tons per year. Two of those projects are right here in Allegheny County: Duquesne Light Company was awarded $20,000 to retrofit four pick-up trucks with a plug-in hybrid electric drive system while Noble Environmental, Inc. received $300,000 to purchase eight CNG garbage trucks. The grant program supports the replacement of older gasoline- or diesel-fueled vehicles with cleaner fuel vehicles as well as fueling stations intended to reduce emissions of harmful pollutants like carbon monoxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide – a principal greenhouse gas. Electric, ethanol, biodiesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied propane gas, and other cleaner fuels are supported. Local governments, schools, businesses, and organizations may apply for grants. DEP administers the grant program under the Pennsylvania Alternative Fuels Incentive Act of 2004. You can read a list of all grant recipients here. #DepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection #airpollution #diesel #DEP #airquality

Lower emission limits could be coming soon to local coal-fired plants thanks to an Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) recommendation that the Environmental Protection Agency require daily limits on oxides of nitrogen on electricity generating units in Pennsylvania. The recommendation applies to coal-fired plants equipped with selective or non-selective catalytic reduction units (known as SCR and NSCR, respectively). For those who are unfamiliar: SCR and NSCR units control NOx emissions. The new recommended daily NOx limits would be at least as stringent as those in place at coal-fired EGUs in Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey, and would theoretically force those here in the Keystone State to operate their NOx emissions control units at all times during the summer ozone season. For those who may be unfamiliar: Ozone is not emitted directly by power plants.  Rather, ozone can form when power plants’ NOx emissions are exposed to sunlight, especially during summer.  Often, ozone in one location results from NOx that is emitted by distant, downwind sources in other states. In the northeastern United States, the summer ozone season runs from the beginning of May through the end of September. Who serves on the Ozone Transport Commission and why was the recommendation made? The OTC consists of representatives of the various federal and state agencies that are responsible for regulating air pollution in the Ozone Transport Region (otherwise known as OTR) created by the 1990 amendments to the federal Clean Air Act. The commission is empowered to recommend additional air pollution controls to the EPA that it deems necessary to bring all areas of the Ozone Transport Region into attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone. By way of background: The Ozone Transport Region includes northern Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the states of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The Ozone Transport Region was created in recognition of a simple fact: Pollution emitted in one state in the region can make attainment of the ozone NAAQS more difficult for its downwind neighbors. Within the Ozone Transport Region, sources of air pollution that lead to the formation of ozone are generally subject to stricter regulation than they might otherwise be under the Clean Air Act. “It’s unclear exactly what the Ozone Transport Commission’s recommendation would mean if accepted by the EPA,” GASP senior staff attorney John Baillie explained. That’s because regulations limiting NOx emissions from coal-fired electricity generating units in Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey differ from state-to-state – and in Maryland, even from plant to plant within the state): Delaware – 0.125 lb/MMBtu Maryland – 0.07 lb/MMBtu – 0.33 lb/MMBtu New Jersey – 1.50 lb/megawatt hour (approximately 0.44 lb/MMBtu) It bears mention that in addition to its hourly emission limits, Maryland also requires coal-fired electricity generating units to operate all installed pollution controls during the summer ozone season. The limits on NOx emissions that are already incorporated into the Title V Operating Permits for the five coal-fired electricity generating units currently operating in southwestern Pennsylvania are, in some instances, significantly higher than those in place in Maryland and Delaware, but are – at their highest – only slightly higher than the requirement in place in New Jersey: Cheswick Station (Allegheny County) – 0.12 lb/MMBtu (if SCR inlet temperature ≥ 600° F) – 0.35 lb/MMBtu (if SCR inlet temperature ≤ 600° F) Keystone Conemaugh Station (Armstrong County) – 0.45 lb/MMBtu Conemaugh Plant (Indiana County) – 0.45 lb/MMBtu Homer City Station (Indiana County) – 0.50 lb/MMBtu Seward Station (Indiana County) – 0.15 lb/MMBtu “That means that if it’s granted, the commission’s recommendation could lead to substantially-reduced hourly limits on NOx emissions from the coal-fired electricity generating units in our region,” Baillie said. “Or perhaps not if the EPA only requires that Pennsylvania units meet New Jersey’s standard.” For those who would like to learn more, mark your calendars: The EPA will hold a virtual public hearing on the Ozone Transport Commission’s recommendation on or before Sept. 4.  More information about that hearing will be published here. #airpollution #NOx #emissions #EPA #ozone #CheswickStation

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Thursday announced that it had commenced an air toxics monitoring study outside the Kopp Glass facility in Swissvale. According to the ACHD website, the study is designed to determine the relative health risks to the community from hazardous air pollutants such as cadmium, arsenic, and others associated with increased risks of cancer and other diseases. This isn’t the first time such a study was conducted near the site: A previous study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency evaluated levels of metal hazardous air pollutants at Kopp Glass and other art glass manufacturers across the county. ACHD assisted in this study. Although the EPA considered the results of that study to be within the agency’s “range of acceptability” for excess cancer risks, ACHD decided to conduct its own air monitoring on the property “to further study the health risk to the public.” ACHD indicated that the Air Quality Program began collecting samples on June 14. The department also noted that it has retained a lab and toxicologist to assist in the analysis of those samples. The new monitor is scheduled to be online through June 13, 2021 and will take and analyze a total of 60 samples. According to the ACHD website: At this time, the data demonstrate lower levels of metal hazardous air pollutants at the community monitor compared with the data taken on-site at Kopp Glass during EPA’s 2017 study. However, the data is limited. It is the opinion of the ACHD and the toxicologist it has retained, that there should be data from at least three months before the community health risk can be assessed. The Health Department will make the data public at that time. ACHD has also been in discussions with Kopp Glass to limit their emissions of metal hazardous air pollutants. Kopp Glass has cooperated in this process and has identified voluntary measures to reduce hazardous air pollutant emissions. During its discussions with Kopp Glass, ACHD also determined that it was subject to federal air quality regulations applicable to glass manufacturing facilities. A copy of the ACHD’s determination is available here. On July 27, 2020, the ACHD ordered Kopp Glass to submit a plan for compliance with the EPA regulations and to submit a Title V Permit application to the ACHD. A full copy of the order is available here. “We are pleased to see the health department embarking on this new air toxics study and we look forward to seeing the results once they are made public,” said GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini. She continued: “GASP thanks the Allegheny County Health Department for not only initiating the air toxics monitoring study but for the wealth of information that is on its website. When we talk about transparency and regular, helpful communications to the public, this is the kind of thing we are talking about. I hope this is a sign of things to come from the new administration.” More information on the program can be found on the ACHD website. Editor’s Note: Kopp Glass Inc. on July 1 appealed an Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) determination that one of its pot furnaces is subject to National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for glass manufacturing area sources. #airquality #airqualitymonitoring #KoppGlass

When air quality was downright awful for more than a week during the festive season this past December, ACHD was quick to point out that a prolonged atmospheric inversion was the culprit. Technically speaking, an inversion will inhibit pollution from dispersing into the wider atmosphere, but make no mistake: An inversion will only concentrate pollutants, not create them. The polluters were the problem, not Mother Nature. Over the past month, ground-level ozone has exceeded federal health-based limits on several occasions in Allegheny County and in areas across southwestern Pennsylvania. Unlike this past winter though, inversions are not the cause. But that hasn’t kept ACHD from – yet again – placing a disproportionate share of the blame on Mother Nature. In emails sent out Monday and Tuesday addressing the recent spate of ozone issues, ACHD stated, “Ozone is a regional pollutant and is overwhelmingly weather dependent.” ACHD isn’t entirely wrong but there is a strongly misleading undercurrent to that statement. EPA’s Ground-level Ozone Basics website states: “(G)round level ozone is not emitted directly into the air but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). This happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.” To summarize: Ozone is a pollutant formed by other pollutants when they mix in the presence of sunlight. So, yes, sunlight is necessary and beyond the powers of county governments to control. But the other essential ingredients are pollutants that ACHD absolutely has the authority and an obligation to limit and regulate. To suggest that ground-level ozone is “overwhelmingly” dependent on weather implies that when the entire region sees hot, sunny days – as we have over the past month or so – the region as a whole should see high ozone readings. Thing is, that just isn’t reflected in the data from the past five weeks. We appreciate that ozone formation is complex and know ACHD will be deploying additional monitoring next year to research the issue further, but this is a problem now, and one that appears to require more than “closely monitoring this situation,” as ACHD promised to do in its recent emails. GASP is calling on ACHD to live up to a promise it made in January to examine and revise its regulations on so-called “Action Days.” When air quality is predicted to be poor, ACHD has very few and very weak regulations on the books that would require short-term reductions in or cessation of pollution-causing activities. What does it have? A robust list of steps residents can take to limit pollution-related activities. “It’s almost beyond the pale to ask residents – especially those who live in environmental justice communities polluted by industry – to significantly alter their daily routines on ‘action days’ while at the same time staying mum on what specific steps businesses need to take to do the same,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “It’s especially crass when you consider that curtailing production at major industrial facilities on ‘action days’ would reap far more air quality benefits than anything residents can do.” GASP believes it is imperative that ACHD’s Air Quality Program make good on a promise it first made way back in the 1970s and create not only procedures intended to stem industrial pollution during periods of bad weather but also every day through tighter coke oven regulations. ACHD and the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) must accept its duty to protect public health, even when Mother Nature complicates matters. Editor’s Note: Wondering where the air quality monitors are located throughout the region? Check out this map: #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ozoneexceedance #airqualitymonitor #Kittanning #ACHD #ozone #airquality