Maybe you’re looking to add some sustainable style to your wardrobe, or maybe you’re looking to rehome some clothing that no longer fits your body or look – either way, Buffalo Exchange in the South Side flats has you covered. Bonus: With every in-store purchase, you get the opportunity to support GASP and the clean air initiatives we spearhead. That’s because the resale shop selected the Group Against Smog and Pollution to be the beneficiary of its Tokens for Bags program through June. Here’s how it works: Instead of handing out plastic bags, Buffalo exchange offers shoppers a 5-cent token that they can donate to one of four nonprofit organizations – of which GASP is one. At the end of six months, the store sends the total amount to each non-profit for every token they received. Fun fact: Since the program’s creation in 1994, it’s helped raise more than $800,000 for thousands of nonprofit organizations and kept more than 16 million plastic bags from polluting the environment, to boot. But being eco-conscious is on-brand for the company. A pioneer in resale fashion, Buffalo Exchange is a sustainable business that works to protect the environment by reusing and recycling clothing. Customers buy, sell and trade their items, giving them a second life, and reducing clothing pollution. “It’s been a challenging year for many nonprofits – the Group Against Smog and Pollution included,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “We are so grateful to our friends at Buffalo Exchange for thinking of us – every bit of financial support is greatly appreciated!” #Buffaloexchange #plasticbags

Editor’s Note: The public comment period for Allegheny County’s draft coke oven regulations closed as of 4 p.m. Jan. 21. THANK YOU to all who submitted comments! If you are concerned about emissions from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, there is no better time than now to let the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) know how you feel. ACHD is now accepting public input on long-awaited revisions to its air quality regulations governing coke oven emissions. GASP will be submitting formal, legal comments, but we’re not writing just to let you know what *we* plan to do. We want to help you understand some of issues so that *you* feel comfortable and confident providing your own comments to the health department. Emissions from coke ovens have been an essential ingredient in our region’s poor air quality for over a century. Both ACHD and US Steel need to hear the public demand cleaner air. Here’s what you need to know to do just that: First, Just a Bit of Housekeeping Details of the proposed changes and supporting documentation are available online. The video on this webpage does provide a good overview of the changes. Also, save the date: Comments must be submitted to ACHD by 4 p.m. on Jan. 21. With that out of the way, let’s start at the beginning… Coke Oven Emissions 101 Simply put, coke is produced by baking coal in an air-tight oven at very high temperatures for about 17 hours. Without oxygen, the coal doesn’t burn but essentially sweats out all of its impurities. Because of the high temperatures, those impurities evaporate and are collected as coke oven gas. Coke oven gas is toxic, flammable, and carcinogenic because of ingredients like tar, benzene, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen sulfide. This mixture is processed to remove some of the more acutely toxic constituents and the remainder is then burned to heat the coke ovens. The problem from a public health standpoint is that this operation simply isn’t air-tight. Pipes leak. Oven doors leak. Emissions escape when loading and emptying the ovens. Equipment breaks down. And at every such point, the emissions could be extremely hazardous. Because of a host of factors, not every molecule of air pollution emitted at the facility ends up affecting ambient air quality, but frequent odor complaints linked to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) near Clairton Coke provide strong evidence that some of those emissions are finding their way into local communities. Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless, flammable gas with a distinct rotten-egg odor. Industrial sources of H2S include petroleum and natural gas extraction and refining, pulp and paper manufacturing, and waste disposal. The largest emitter of hydrogen sulfide in Allegheny County is U.S. Steel. According to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Air Emissions reporting, Clairton Coke Works emitted about 156 tons of H2S in 2019—the most recent year for which data is available. For some perspective, all other sources of H2S in Pennsylvania combined only emitted 59 tons. That level of emissions makes H2S both a potential indicator of less odorous but more dangerous pollutants in the air as well as a problem all unto itself. Pennsylvania has an ambient air quality standard for hydrogen sulfide, which is monitored by ACHD. Air quality exceeded that standard 28 times in 2020, according to preliminary data. GASP has long called on ACHD to get a handle on those exceedances, last year petitioning the department to create stronger coke oven regulations – a move Air Quality Program officials said would help solve the problem. ACHD’s Coke Oven Regulations: What’s New & What They Will Do Presently, ACHD coke oven regulations spell out limits on emissions for aspects of the coking process where there is a potential for emissions such as when the ovens are loaded (called charging), when they are emptied (called pushing), and when the red-hot coal is cooled (called quenching). ACHD also has procedures for inspectors to follow to correctly determine compliance with those limits but they aren’t fully spelled out in the current regulations. In revising its coke oven regulations, ACHD indicated it had four primary goals in mind: Incorporate inspection procedures for coke ovens; Address “issues of stringency” with federal and state requirements; Correct the coke oven gas standards; and Remove outdated language GASP staff reviewed the proposed revisions at length. Our staff attorneys determined that modifications will essentially do three things: Retain existing limits on “fugitive emissions” from the coke ovens as well as concentrations of particulate matter in emissions from “combustion stacks.” FYI: Fugitive emissions include visible emissions from leaking doors, piping, etc., and the combustion stacks are essentially the chimneys for the ovens. Reduce limits on the sulfur content of coke oven gas burned at the facility in two steps – the first when the rule becomes effective and the second occurring on Jan. 1, 2025. Revise inspection protocols for fugitive emissions from the coke ovens. Easier Said than Done GASP supports ACHD’s efforts to reduce H2S and other coke oven emissions. In taking this step, we believe ACHD is acting to protect the health and safety of local residents and communities. Unfortunately, the revisions to the coke oven regulations fell short of our expectations. We know that when regulators create new rules or retool existing regulations, they must keep many (sometimes contradictory and conflicting) factors in mind. For ACHD, one of those factors is language in the 2019 settlement agreement with U.S. Steel, which requires the department to be able to demonstrate that revisions made to coke oven regulations would reduce concentrations of both hydrogen sulfide and benzene at the Liberty air quality monitor. The agreement also requires coke oven regulation changes to be “technically feasible.” “What this means exactly in any given situation is anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to assume that an engineer or other industry expert has to be willing to testify that a required control or measure could be done, with a realistic cost-benefit ratio,” GASP senior attorney John Baillie explained. And guesswork isn’t something we should be engaging in at this point. In the documentation accompanying the revisions, ACHD didn’t show its work. As a result, there’s no data establishing that the revisions will ultimately make the air in the Mon Valley any cleaner. “ACHD has not attempted to demonstrate that the new rule conforms to the 2019 Settlement Agreement, specifically the requirement that any revisions result in reduced H2S levels,” Baillie said. “Rather, it justifies the rule based on a purported need to incorporate applicable federal and state standards into the county regs.” But here’s the thing: GASP’s review shows that Allegheny County’s air pollution control regulations (known as Article XXI) already incorporate those rules by reference. “This means facilities are already subject to such rules,” Baillie explained. While there is no need to spell them out expressly in Article XXI, doing so may make it easier for industry, the public, and regulators to determine exactly which limits apply. “To the extent ACHD wants to incorporate applicable state and federal rules, it should incorporate all such rules for the sake of clarity. The new rules would not do this,” he noted. The new rules also do not incorporate: A federal limit on the total dissolved solid content of quench water (no more than 1,100 mg/L); or Federal limits on fugitive emissions that are based on rolling 30-day averages of observed emissions rather than instantaneous observations. The “new” limits on fugitive emissions are, in fact, existing emission limits so any air quality improvements from them will thus depend on increased enforcement and compliance, he added. Fortunately, it’s not all bad news: The proposed limit on the sulfur content of coke oven gas is likely to help reduce the concentration of sulfur compounds – including both SO2 and H2S – in the ambient air at the Liberty monitor and in the vicinity of Clairton generally. Unfortunately, while this limit may be technically feasible for U.S. Steel to achieve, ACHD has not demonstrated that it is the case as required by the 2019 settlement agreement. “This leaves the regs vulnerable to a legal challenge brought by U.S. Steel,” Baillie said.  “ACHD should provide such a demonstration so that the regs hold up in court.” How You Can Make Your Voice Heard on Allegheny County’s New Coke Oven Regulations If you’ve read this far, you already know: Regulations are complex and the terminology and process can be confusing. GASP is fortunate to have two staff attorneys who review all this stuff and explain it to the rest of the team in a digestible way. So we get it if you’re thinking to yourself, “I know this is important. I know that crappy air quality impacts my life – I smell the stank all the time – but I don’t think I know enough about it to really submit comments.” Please know: You don’t need to be a lawyer or an expert to weigh in. Regulators, the regulated community, and watchdog groups like GASP might know the technical details and understand the underlying rules, limits, and regulations but we aren’t on the frontlines – YOU are. It’s important for ACHD to hear this unified message from residents: We’re hopeful the revisions will help stem fugitive emissions from coke ovens and H2S exceedances but we are concerned there’s no guarantee the proposed changes will lead to cleaner air in the Mon Valley. ACHD must continue to do all it can to protect the health of residents impacted by decades of poor air quality. The public deserves to know that these updates will improve air quality. It’s equally important for residents to share their personal experiences – your first-hand accounts give you your own expertise. We hope you use that expertise to help decision-makers understand how industrial air pollution impacts your day-to-day life. We hear the stories all too often: About children who needed to be taken to the ER after playing outside on a bad air day, about people shuttering their doors and windows on unseasonably warm days to keep pungent industrial odors at bay, about people who fear they will have to sell their beloved homes to protect their families from egregious emissions. Those experiences are important for public officials *and* U.S. Steel to hear, and we hope you will consider sharing them by testifying at a public hearing slated for 5 p.m. Jan. 20, by sending in written comments by the Jan. 21 deadline, or both. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to submit comments and encourage you to do so through our online form. Your comments will automatically be routed to ACHD. More instructions on how to submit public comments can be found here. Those who would prefer to present verbal testimony at the hearing must register through Zoom at least 24 hours in advance of the virtual hearing. Please note that testimony is limited to three minutes. #cokeovenregulations #benzene #airpollution #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #airquality

Editor’s Note: The public comment period for Allegheny County’s draft coke oven regulations closed as of 4 p.m. Jan. 21. Time is running out to weigh in on proposed revisions to Allegheny County’s coke oven regulations – rules the health department hopes will reduce certain air pollutants emanating from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works as well as clarify inspection procedures. As Mon Valley residents know all too well, emissions from coke ovens have been a primary source of our local air pollution for decades. While GASP and fellow clean air groups have long called on the Allegheny County Health Department to retool them, it’s imperative that ACHD and U.S. Steel hear from the people who are most impacted by emissions and malodors from the plant: You. Fortunately, there is ample opportunity for you to speak out: ACHD is accepting public comments on the draft regulations through 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21. The department will also accept oral testimony at a public hearing slated for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20. GASP wants to make speaking out as simple as possible for you: On our blog, you can get the skinny on the draft revisions, access sample language for your comments that you can copy-and-paste or add to, as well as a simple form that will automatically route your message to the Allegheny County Health Department. You can check all of that out here. “We want to extend a big thank you to all the folks who already submitted their comments, and encourage those who’ve been impacted by emissions from Clairton Coke Works not to sit this one out,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “We also want to encourage those who have submitted written comments to also sign up to testify at the public hearing.” She added: “U.S. Steel has often tried to stack the deck when it comes to public testimony at these types of hearings. Don’t let them drown out the voices that most need to be heard.” Remember: You don’t have to be an expert on all things coke ovens in order to speak out. Regulators (i.e. ACHD), the regulated community (i.e. U.S. Steel), and watchdog groups like GASP might know the technical details and understand the underlying rules, limits, and regulations but we aren’t on the frontlines – YOU are. And that gives you your own brand of expertise. REMEMBER: People wishing to present verbal testimony at the hearing must register through Zoom at least 24 hours in advance of the virtual hearing – which means you must sign up by 5 p.m. today, Tuesday Jan. 19. Testimony is limited to three minutes. Need a little inspiration? Check out what some of your neighbors had to say about the new coke oven regulations and then complete the form below: “I am old enough to remember growing up in Swissvale when at noon red noxious emissions from Carrie Furnace would enter the air and we kids would have to hurry up and take our clothes off the clothesline☹️ Now, I live on a mountain ravaged by coal mines in earlier centuries looking down on toxic emissions from the USS Clairton Works.☹️ When will these environmental injustices stop?” – JL “We citizens of Allegheny County rely on the ACHD to take all stands to ensure that the air we breathe is clean and healthy. The Proposed Coke Oven Regulation Revisions will limit the sulfur content of coke oven gas is likely to help reduce the concentration of sulfur compounds – including both SO2 and H2S – and to improve our health standards. Does it go far enough to make sure our air is cleaned up? Probably not, but it’s a move in the right direction. Please act in the best interest of Allegheny County citizens, and avoid the temptation to enact policy designed to maximize profits for local industry. “ – KP “I am a long-term resident of Allegheny County and suffer from the below average air quality. Clariton Coke is one of the main culprits and should either be shut down or forced to comply with existing or updated regulations. The usual economic arguments to maintain the status quo have been disproven over and over again. Please take action now!” – RN “I am a long-time resident of Allegheny county with experience living in the east end communities (Shadyside, Oakland and Squirrel Hill). The time for Pittsburgh to address the Clairton coke pollution issues is long overdue. Year after year we have waited for action on this important health issue. I have been using the “smell Pittsburgh” app to log air quality issues and NEAR HALF of summer days I can smell the Sulfer/rotten egg small. It was especially acute this past summer- and seems to be GETTING WORSE, NOT BETTER! It is not just a smell but rather the feeling of burning sensation from breathing the air on those days that prompts me to keep children indoors rather than play outside which would otherwise be the healthier option. Important improvements have occurred in western Allegheny county with the clean up and shutdown of the Neville Island industrial polluters. I would like to see equivalent action taken for the East end communities which have long suffered with the smell and unnecessary health hazards from the Clariton coke emissions. PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW – IT IS ALREADY LONG OVERDUE!” – DN “Please do everything in your power to regulate air pollution from the coke works! I live in Whitehall. We have lots of trees around our house, but still have issues with intense, toxic smelling air at least once a week and lately, several times a week, usually late at night or in early morning. We bought two big air cleaners and I wear masks to let the dogs out. Yes, it’s that bad sometimes because I’ve had asthma attacks from it. I talk about moving all the time as I’ve had less problems breathing while visiting in bigger cities. I’ve lived in over 20 places in Pittsburgh and this is by far the worst in air quality! My husband reports it to an app every time. He’s lived here for over 25yrs and says it’s getting worse.” – SG “ACHD, I am a Munhall resident and have just learned about your plans for revisions to the coke oven regulations at Clairton Coke. Works. What are you doing to ensure the health and safety of Mon Valley Residents? We live with the ill effects of this industry daily. There are many days when I cannot even be outdoors at my own home. Not the quality of life the health department should want for County residents. I would love some assurance that these proposed updates will provide an improvement to the air quality in the Mon Valley. Thanks.” – VB “Dear ACHD, I didn’t grow up in Pittsburgh – I moved here from eastern PA for college and decided to stay because I liked it here so much. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, my job, like many others in the region, has shifted to a full-time remote position and is expected to remain that way. Despite how much I like Pittsburgh, as a person who also loves spending time outdoors biking and running, I’m not sure I can justify staying here any more because the air quality is so poor. Why should I live here when I can move anywhere else in the country and not have to deal with this disgusting air? I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way about this city that I like so much. I’m so tired of walking outside in the morning and smelling that awful sulfur smell. I’m tired of getting an itchy throat and watery eyes several days each month while exercising outdoors. I’m worried that when I decide to have children, raising them here will mean subjecting them to increased asthma risks and lung complications. I think Pittsburgh is a beautiful city but so many days of the year are ruined by horrible air pollution. Add to that the poor water quality and excessive amounts of litter everywhere and one has to ask, why should I stay in Pittsburgh if all that matters to the government is US Steel, not me? Please put out stronger air quality regulations and enforce them. If not, many people, myself included, will have little justification for staying in this city much longer.” – AB #airpollution #USSteel #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks

We’ve got some good news to report: The revised fee schedule for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Air Quality Program officially went into effect this past weekend – a move that will allow it to adequately administer and enforce air pollution laws in the 65 of the state’s 67 counties (excluding Allegheny and Philadelphia Counties) for which it is responsible. That’s because the Air Quality Program is funded by the fees that it charges rather than by general tax revenues. “The new proposed fee schedule should put the Air Quality Program on sound financial footing for at least the next five years,” GASP senior attorney John Baillie said. “The new schedule will also impose fees for the first time on a number of the determinations DEP routinely makes for facilities, a welcome revision that will make the companies that use the most of the department’s resources pay a larger share of the cost of providing them.” “That opposition seems to have evaporated during the fall and winter,” Baillie explained. For those interested, the new fee schedule is available here. How will this impact fees collected by Allegheny County Health Department’s Air Quality Program? “ACHD has already revised the structure of the fee schedule for the Allegheny County Health Department’s Air Quality Bureau to match the structure of DEP’s proposed revisions,” Baillie explained. GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini added: “We expect that ACHD will finalize its new fee schedule in the near future and that the fees charged to facilities in Allegheny County will be similar, if not the same as, DEP’s new fees. ” #DepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection #airpollution #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #feeschedule #DEP #AirQualityProgram #ACHD

Editor’s Note: The public comment period for Allegheny County’s coke oven regulations closed as of 4 p.m. Jan. 21. Residents talked about having to shut their windows on nice days to keep out noxious odors emanating from the Clairton Coke Works. They spoke about asthma attacks, about suffering itchy eyes and throats, about dust that cakes their windows and kills their outdoor plants. Some talked about fears that persistent poor air quality would ultimately force them to uproot their families in search of a healthier environment. Others noted that even if they wanted to – needed to move – some simply do not have the resources to do so. They told ACHD stories about being afraid to let their pets outside. About keeping their children indoors on days when pollution levels skyrocketed. They asked, “Do your children have to worry about going outside to play?” They begged health officials in three hours of testimony: Please do more to protect us from Clairton Coke Works emissions. GASP and fellow environmental groups joined those residents at a virtual public hearing Wednesday evening to testify about draft revisions to Allegheny County’s coke oven regulations in an effort to send the message to ACHD that the public is relying on them to ensure the regulations are as strong as possible. Intended to reduce certain air pollutants from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works and clarify inspection procedures, the draft revisions were the topic of nearly three hours of testimony from residents, environmental leaders, and U.S. Steel loyalists. The meeting was held remotely and streamed live on the Allegheny County Health Department’s Facebook page. You can read all about the draft revisions on our recent blog. Here’s testimony presented Wednesday by GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini: Good evening. I’m Rachel Filippini, the director of GASP. These verbal remarks are in addition to the more extensive and technical comments we will be submitting tomorrow. For years now, we have implored the ACHD to do more to control emissions coming from the Clairton Coke Works that cause malodors and are linked to asthma, heart attacks, cancer, and myriad other health problems.We know, for instance, that emissions from the Clairton Plant regularly contribute to exceedances of Allegheny County’s ambient air quality standard for Hydrogen Sulfide. The Clairton Plant is the largest emitter of hydrogen sulfide in Allegheny County. PA DEP Air Emissions reporting shows Clairton Coke Works emitted about 156 tons of H2S in 2019. For some perspective, all other sources of H2S in PA combined only emitted 59 tons.Over the past several weeks we have worked to assist community members in submitting their own comments. From those comments, we heard from people who fear going outside without a mask – not just because of the pandemic, but because of the seemingly ever-present emissions and malodors from the Clairton Coke Works. We heard gut-wrenching stories about community members having to rush their asthmatic children to the ER on days when air quality was particularly poor. We heard others lament that while they love the city of Pittsburgh, they may need to uproot their families because of the abysmal air quality, and how it impacts their day-to-day lives.With these regulations, ACHD can potentially make a positive impact on our local air quality and those who breathe it. Are these revisions everything we’d hoped for? Absolutely not. Do we support the health department’s efforts to reduce hydrogen sulfide and other coke oven emissions? Absolutely. What follows are some of our concerns:The department says these revisions are necessary to incorporate a number of existing state and federal standards relating to coke oven emissions in Article XXI. However, they are already incorporated by reference and thus the department has had, for a long time, the ability to enforce these standards.The “new” limits on fugitive emissions are, in fact, existing limits so any air quality improvements from them will depend on increased enforcement and compliance. A regulation is only as good as the enforcement of it.To the extent ACHD wants to incorporate applicable state and federal rules, it must incorporate all such rules for the sake of clarity. In their current form, the new rules do not incorporate: ● A federal limit on the total dissolved solid content of quench water (no more than 1,100 mg/L); nor ● Federal limits on fugitive emissions that are based on rolling 30-day averages of observed emissions rather than instantaneous observations. Additionally, ACHD should demonstrate that the limits on emissions of particulate matter from coke oven battery combustion stacks, leaking doors, leaking topside port lids, leaking offtake systems, and visible emissions per charge are at least as stringent as the federal regulations. The proposed limit on the sulfur content of coke oven gas is likely to help reduce the concentration of several pollutants in the ambient air. Unfortunately, while this limit may be technically feasible for U.S. Steel to achieve, ACHD has not demonstrated that it is the case. ACHD should provide a demonstration showing what, if any, reduction of concentrations of H2S in the ambient air near the Clairton Plant generally, and at the Liberty monitor specifically, will occur once the proposed revisions take effect. Thank you for your consideration of these comments. While the public hearing may be over, the public comment period is not. If you haven’t yet weighed in on the revised coke oven regulations, here’s a sample message to use in its entirety or as a guide. Fill out our form below to have your comments routed directly to ACHD: Editor's Note: The deadline to comment has passed. Thanks to all who weighed in. #cokeovenregulations #airpollution #hydrogensulfide #USSteel #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks #Clairton #airquality #cokeovengas

Editor’s Note: The following is from a news release issued by the Allegheny County Health Department Thursday morning. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced on Thursday morning that its air quality monitor network has been updated to remove the Lincoln air quality monitor. The site was first installed in 1993 to collect data on PM 10 to measure compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set by the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2011, the department installed a PM 2.5 monitor to collect data for a study that compared levels of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) to larger particulate matter (PM 10). The study concluded years ago, but the PM 2.5 monitor continued to operate. Concentrations of PM 10 have been generally declining since 1997, and there has not been a violation of the PM 10 NAAQS at that site since 1997. The most recent exceedance of the PM 10 NAAQS at the Lincoln site was in 2005. The Lincoln monitoring site was on a hill on private property near Clairton. Trees surrounding the site became overgrown and blocked airflow to the site, causing it to no longer meet regulatory requirements for air quality monitoring sites. PM 10 monitors continue to operate in Liberty, Clairton, Glassport, and North Braddock. PM 2.5 is measured in the Mon Valley at three of the four sites (Glassport being the exception). Beginning immediately, the Lincoln monitor will no longer appear on the Air Quality dashboard. The monitor was taken offline last week and dismantled. #ACHD #airquality #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #Lincolnmonitor

The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) is seeking Allegheny County students in grades 9, 10, and 11 who are interested in becoming environmental game-changers. If that’s you or someone you know, we invite you to apply today for an innovative new program called Fresh Voices for Clean Air. GASP is partnering on this unique opportunity with Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP), a non-profit organization working in the greater-Birmingham area in Alabama that works to advance healthy air & environmental justice through education, advocacy, and organizing. They strive to reduce air pollution, to educate the public on the health risks associated with poor air quality and to encourage community leaders to serve as role models for clean air and clean energy development. “We are so excited to partner with GASP in Birmingham on this project and to see what the students come up with,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “While our organizations are unrelated, our commitment to clean air is unbreakable.” Sound interesting? Here’s how Fresh Voices for Clean Air works: GASP will pair a small group of high school students in Allegheny County with a group of their peers in Birmingham, Ala. for a year-long collaborative partnership. Throughout 2021, the cohorts in each city will meet virtually to participate in discussions with each other and with guest speakers. The team will learn more about air quality while building the skills necessary to become effective environmental advocates. By the end of the program year, the team will have created, developed, and executed an air quality-related project of their own choosing, with the support of adult mentors in both Pittsburgh and Birmingham. Bonus: Upon successful completion of the program year, participants will earn a $250 award. “This new partnership between air quality-focused non-profit organizations in Pittsburgh and Birmingham reflects our cities’ similar industrial and environmental history,” said Michael Hansen, executive director of the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution. “A century ago, Birmingham was nicknamed the ‘Pittsburgh of the South.’ The two cities have experienced some of the worst air quality in the nation, and residents have been fighting back for decades.” GASP Air Quality Educator Laura Kuster agreed: “Discovering and discussing the similarities and differences between experiences in these two regions will be a key component of the collaboration,” she said. The program will run from March through December 2021 and is open to students in grades 9, 10, and 11 who attend school in either Allegheny County, PA or Jefferson County, Ala. To be considered, students must be willing and able to participate in Fresh Voices for Clean Air until the end of 2021. Please note that the program spans two academic years and includes the summer in between. Those interested in participating will need access to a laptop or desktop computer, tablet or smartphone to participate in virtual meetings, as well as written consent from a parent or guardian. The deadline to apply is Feb. 19. You can apply here. Have some questions or need a little more information before committing to the program? Learn more and get a chance to introduce yourself to program advisors starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16. You can register here. The Fresh Voices for Clean Air initiative was made possible by funding through the Grable Foundation. The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), a non-profit founded in 1969, works to improve air quality in southwestern Pennsylvania in order to safeguard human, environmental, and economic health. GASP is a diligent watchdog, educator, litigator and policy-maker on a variety of air quality issues impacting our region. Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP), a non-profit organization working in the greater-Birmingham area in Alabama, advances healthy air & environmental justice through education, advocacy, and organizing. They strive to reduce air pollution, to educate the public on the health risks associated with poor air quality and to encourage community leaders to serve as role models for clean air and clean energy development. #airpollution #airquality #cleanair

The Allegheny County Health Department’s notice last week of air quality permits open for comment and issued in final form listed a final operating permit for Pressure Chemical Co., “to include Subpart VVVVVV language.” We’ll guess few of you are familiar with “Subpart VVVVVV,” how it might affect Pressure Chemical, or why it matters. But at GASP, those six V’s marked a small victory and the end to an issue that began almost two years ago. In explaining why GASP was happy to see the facility now officially subject to Subpart VVVVVV, we figured we’d also explain a portion of the unglamorous but important work we do. About Those Air Quality Permits… As supporters might know, GASP’s watchdog efforts include examining drafts of air quality permits published by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). By law, agencies like ACHD and DEP must give the public a chance to review certain actions before they become “final” and issuing permits falls into that category. Examination of these documents involves GASP’s staff attorneys verifying that all applicable legal requirements are included, that limits and requirements are being applied to the facility correctly, that the math for any numerical limits adds up, and several other related details. It can be a tedious process. Both the specific pollutants emitted and the types of activities that occur at a facility need to be analyzed. Laws and regulations at the state, local, and federal levels might apply. Taken together, that means GASP staff needs to understand – with a reasonably high level of detail – all the processes at the site that are sources of air pollution as well as all laws and regulations applicable to those sources and pollutants. For those interested, notices of DEP permits are published weekly in the Pa Bulletin and ACHD permit notices are published here intermittently, but normally every four to six weeks. Why GASP Took Issue with Pressure Chemical’s Draft Air Quality Permit In February 2019, we began our examination of a draft permit for the Pressure Chemical Co. facility in Pittsburgh’s Lower Lawrenceville neighborhood. The facility is a manufacturer of specialty chemicals for various clients and does not produce a set list of products. “That variability caught our eye, as did the fact that the permit authorized the facility to store, utilize, and emit several different hazardous air pollutants,” GASP staff attorney Ned Mulcahy said. While reviewing the draft permit GASP determined that it failed to include requirements for “Chemical Manufacturing Area Sources” (those “Subpart VVVVVV” requirements we mentioned earlier). The details of that regulation are – unsurprisingly – tedious, but essentially, they amount to on-site best-practices, emissions controls, and record-keeping requirements for smaller chemical manufacturers. Because of the changing nature of products that Pressure Chemical manufactures, it is not clear if Subpart VVVVVV will tangibly reduce emissions but at the very least, qualifying activities on-site would be subject to additional record-keeping, reporting, and process management. GASP jointly submitted comments with Lawrenceville Clean Air Now (LCAN) in March 2019 noting the VVVVVV deficiency along with a few other concerns. Six months later ACHD issued a final permit, having stated in its final review memorandum discussing the permit that the facility would be subject to Subpart VVVVVV requirements. It was a small but significant victory…for about three minutes. Due to – what GASP would discover later – was a clerical error, the actual, official operating permit issued to Pressure Chemical Co. did not include the applicable Subpart VVVVVV requirements. ACHD corrected the error and issued a revised permit. Pressure Chemical appealed, not over the Subpart VVVVVV applicability but specifically how compliance with it was required in the revised permit. Finally, in September 2020, the appeal was settled and ACHD issued the final permit. The reason for the delay between finalizing the permit and publishing notice of it is not clear. “Having reviewed the final, final version of the operating permit, I’m happy,” Mulcahy said. “Not all of our original comments affected the permit but we helped ensure additional requirements in applicable regulations will now apply to the facility. That is hardly headline news but without our oversight, I’m not sure anyone would have noticed. That alone makes the tedium worth it.” #NedMulcahy #PressureChemicalCompany #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #airqualitypermits #LawrencevilleCleanAirNow #airquality

Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced in a press release Tuesday that, for the first time in its history, all air quality monitors in Allegheny County have met federal air quality standards. This means air quality in the county now meets federal, health-based standards for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone, and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10). “This achievement comes after years of hard work by the Health Department, federal and state agencies, and local industry to clean up the air in Allegheny County,” Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen said in the release. “But we have more work to do, and the Health Department is committed to ensuring everyone in Allegheny County has clean air to breathe.” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini agreed the fight to improve our air quality is far from over. “The 2020 data are promising but we still have way too many days when foul odors and pollution from industrial sources make the air unhealthy to breathe. And our most vulnerable – children, the elderly, and those with heart and lung disease – suffer the most,” she said. “There are still a number of large sources in the County that lack necessary air quality permits and other sources that continue to flout air quality laws.” Based on preliminary data from the department’s monitors, Allegheny County is attaining both the annual and 24-hour standards for PM2.5 for the first time since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter in 1999. This represents a significant step in the county’s efforts to improve air quality for all residents. The data are being certified for submission to the EPA for approval. ACHD operates nine air quality monitors that record PM2.5 readings – in Liberty, Avalon, Pittsburgh’s Manchester and Lawrenceville neighborhoods, South Fayette, Harrison, Clairton, North Braddock, and along the Parkway East. Air quality recorded at the Liberty monitor, located near U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, is the only monitor that has kept Allegheny County from attaining the EPA standard in recent years. The EPA annual standard for PM2.5 is 12 micrograms per cubic meters (µg/m³), averaged over three years. The 24-hour standard is 35 µg/m³, which is also averaged over three years. The data for 2020 from the Liberty monitor shows an annual average of 9.8 µg/m³ and a 24-hour average of 27.2 µg/m³, resulting in three-year averages of 11.2 and 32, respectively, both below the federal standards required to reach attainment. The 9.8 µg/m³ annual average for 2020 also meets the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines of 10 µg/m³. The county press release stated air quality was still on track to attain the federal standards in 2020 even without lower levels of pollution due to the pandemic, but staff attorney Ned Mulcahy was skeptical. “Record low emissions coincided with a record surge in unemployment in 2020. Bars, restaurants, schools, amusement parks, theatres and numerous other establishments spent unintended time closed. I don’t see how pretending 2020 was a typical year for anything – including air pollution – is helpful to the analysis.” “Plus,” he added, “Air quality in 2020 wasn’t exactly perfect.” Although, the county’s press release correctly noted that sulfur dioxide “registered a record low of 44 ppb, 31 points below the 75 ppb standard,” that value was only true for the Liberty monitoring site. The 2020 value at the North Braddock monitor was 65 ppb, which represents an *increase* from the 2019 value of 59 ppb. There were also two exceedances of the 75 ppb standard at North Braddock in 2020. In addition, double-digit violations of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour air quality standard for hydrogen sulfide continued in 2020 with a total of 26 exceedances at the Liberty monitor and two more at the North Braddock site, which only operated 22 days last year. “Clearly, there’s still work to do. Now more than ever we need ACHD to use its regulatory authority to ensure the health and welfare of residents is paramount moving forward,” Filippini said. “The health department is working on a series of regulations right now – rules about things like coke oven gas and episodic weather events that impact air quality – that could significantly help ensure healthier air in Allegheny County. We hope the department and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will do all they can to make sure those regulations are as stringent as possible.” Editor’s Note: Here is some associated media coverage: Allegheny County Meets All Federal Air Quality Standards for First Time Ever, published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette For the First Time Ever, Allegheny County Meets Federal Air Quality Standards, published by State Impact All Allegheny County Air Quality Monitors Meet Federal Standards, a First in Two Decades, published by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review #PM25 #LibertyMonitor #attainment #airqualitymonitors #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #airquality

Dear GASP Members, The time has come for dues-paying members to vote for nominees for election or reelection to our board of directors for terms running from 2021-2023. Here’s what you need to know: Casting your vote is easy: Check “yes” or “no” for each candidate and input your name, address, and email in the allotted space. Please complete your ballot by Feb. 28, 2021. Candidates will be elected by a simple majority of member votes. Election results will be announced at GASP’s annual business meeting slated for 7 p.m. March 3. For the safety of our board, staff, and members, this meeting will be held virtually. If you would like to attend, please RSVP by emailing rachel@gasp-pgh.org. The Zoom link will be emailed to you. “About half of our board is up for re-election presently, but GASP is eager to add some new voices and perspectives to our Board of Directors,” Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “With this in mind we will be having another election later this year – so if you are interested in being considered please email your resume to rachel@gasp-pgh.org so we can follow up with you.” Editor's Note: The deadline to cast your vote has passed. Thanks to everyone who voted!