Air quality is a complex issue with plenty of confusing terms and jargon. To help simplify things, our Fresh Voices for Clean Air participants crafted this awesome, plain-language guide to the most common air pollutants and where they come from. Check it out: Don’t know about our Fresh Voices for Clean Air Program? It’s an innovative program that paired a small group of high school students from Allegheny County with a group of their peers in Birmingham, Ala., for a 10-month collaborative partnership. Throughout 2021, the cohorts in each city regularly gathered via virtual meetings to participate in discussions with each other and guest speakers both to learn more about air quality and to build skills that will help them become more effective environmental advocates. By the end of the program year, participants created, developed, and executed an air quality-related project of their own choosing, with the support of adult mentors in both Pittsburgh and Birmingham. This is one of them. The partnership between air quality-focused non-profit organizations in Pittsburgh and Birmingham reflects our cities’ similar industrial and environmental history. A century ago, Birmingham was nicknamed the “Pittsburgh of the South.” Both cities have experienced some of the worst air quality in the nation. Discovering and discussing the similarities and differences between experiences in these two regions will be a key component of the collaboration. You can learn more about our Fresh Voices program here. #PM25 #NAAQS #airpollutants #FreshVoicesforCleanAir #airquality

We found a piece of good air quality news in this past Saturday’s Pennsylvania Bulletin: Emissions are expected to decrease at a Westmoreland County-based compressor station. Here’s what happened: Eastern Gas Transmission & Storage, Inc. has filed an application for a Plan Approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to install an oxidation catalyst to reduce emissions from its J.B. Tonkin Compressor Station in Murrysville. “The potential reductions in facility-wide emissions that the oxidation catalyst will bring about are significant,” GASP’s senior attorney John Baillie explained. “The facility’s potential to emit oxides of nitrogen that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone – alone will drop by at least 126 tons per year and its potential to emit the hazardous air pollutant formaldehyde will drop by at least two tons per year.” J.B. Tonkin Compressor Station’s emissions of volatile organic compounds (AKA VOCs, which also contribute to ozone formation) will also drop, although, from the information published in the Bulletin, it is not clear by how much. “At any rate, after the installation of the oxidation catalyst, the facility will become a minor source of both NOx and VOCs, although it will remain a major source of hazardous air pollutants,” Baillie added. Quick FYI on ozone: Ground-level ozone is created by chemical reactions that occur between nitrogen oxides (known as NOx) and volatile organic compounds (known as VOCs). This happens when sunlight chemically reacts with pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, chemical plants, refineries, and even some species of trees. And it can be harmful to your health: Inhaling ozone can cause everything from throat irritation and coughing to chest pain and airway inflammation that makes it difficult to breathe. Ozone can even reduce lung function and harm lung tissue, and exposure can exacerbate conditions like asthma and other breathing issues. Some scientists have compared ozone-caused lung damage to sunburn. #JBTonkinCompressorStation #compressorstation #compressorstationemissions #emissions #groundlevelozone #ozone

The Allegheny County Board of Health meeting’s public comment period Wednesday was dominated by residents who expressed their concern over various air quality issues, with some speaking out about recent bad-air episodes while others addressed the draft operating permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, as well as a lack of information from the Air Quality Program regarding recent regulation changes. GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell was among those in attendance, telling the board it must do all it can to encourage more robust and proactive communications from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) during periods of poor air quality that do not trigger a Mon Valley Air Quality Watch and/or Mon Valley Air Quality Warning. For those not familiar with the new Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule, you can get all the info you need here. Here’s what Patrick told the board: Good afternoon. I’m Patrick Campbell, executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution, an environmental watchdog nonprofit serving the region since 1969. Thank you for the opportunity to address you today.Over the past two weeks, GASP has heard an overwhelming number of terrible air quality stories from residents. Some told us about needing to place pillows around doors and windows to keep pungent air from seeping in, about asthma attacks that have become more frequent, and the all-too-regular and very real fear about what they’re breathing in when they walk out the front door in the morning. These kinds of stories are common during short-term episodes of poor air quality and days during which H2S concentrations exceed the PA 24-hour-average standard. So far this year, there have been seven days during which H2S exceeded that standard at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty. Over the past 10 years, Pennsylvania’s H2S standard was exceeded on 455 days.As Allegheny County’s appointed authority on matters of public health, you know that exposure to low concentrations of H2S may cause irritation to the eyes, nose, or throat. It may also cause difficulty breathing for some asthmatics. The EPA says it can cause headaches, poor memory, tiredness, and balance problems. We’ve advised residents to make odor complaints to ACHD. We’ve asked them to sign petitions and show up to share their experiences with you during meetings just like these. And they have. They have done everything that responsible citizens should do. The response to these complaints has been mostly silence from ACHD and this board. And that has to change. While GASP appreciates that Pennsylvania’s hydrogen sulfide standard is regulatory in nature, H2S exposure still has health impacts that ACHD could – and should – help educate residents about in a proactive way. Right now, ACHD issues a daily air quality forecast and dispersion report nearly every day late in the morning after residents have left their homes. GASP is asking ACHD to consider issuing that report earlier in the morning, as well as supplementing that already existing resource to reflect that day’s early-morning conditions, what people can do to reduce their risk of exposure, and when conditions are expected to improve. And we are asking this board to do what it can to encourage that communication because it’s what Allegheny County residents deserve. Again: Residents have been doing everything that they can to help improve their own health. But now they need YOU – the board members appointed to help protect public health – to do everything that YOU can. That means leveraging your authority and demanding more from ACHD. The time is now, particularly as the Air Quality Program is working to rehaul its communication strategy. In other business, the board voted unanimously to send ACHD’s revised coke oven regulations to public comment. Prior to that vote, the Air Quality Program shared several slides with more information about the newest proposed changes to the regulation, as well as a ton of background information: The meeting, which was live-streamed on ACHD’s Facebook page, can be viewed in its entirety here: #H2S #hydrogensulfideexceedances #H2Sexceedance #hydrogensulfide #USSteel #LibertyMonitor #AlleghenyCounty #alleghenycountyairquality #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #airqualitymonitor #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks

The deadline to weigh in on the draft air quality permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works is quickly approaching, and it’s so important that regulators hear from residents like you. GASP is making that as easy as possible: Our attorneys have pored over the more than 300-page permit and are preparing written technical comments on its deficiencies. But they also took the time to distill all that information down into an FAQ we can all understand. Here’s what you need to know to make your voice heard, as well as sample language and a form that automatically routes your comments to the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD): About the Air Quality Permit Process, Requirments ACHD has published a draft Title V Operating Permit renewal for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works and is accepting comments on the draft permit from the public through March 15. A major source of air pollution (as that term is defined by the Clean Air Act) is required by the Act to have a Title V Operating Permit issued by the regulatory agency that has primary regulatory authority over the source. A facility’s Title V Operating Permit must include all operating restrictions and emission limits to which the facility is subject, as well as testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, reporting, and work practice requirements that are sufficient to assure the facility’s compliance with those restrictions and limits. The Problems with U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works’ Draft Permit “During our review of the draft permit for the Clairton Coke Works, we found a few problematic omissions,” GASP senior attorney John Baillie said. First, the Clean Air Act requires that Title V Operating Permits for facilities out of compliance with existing requirements when the permit is issued include a “compliance schedule” designed to bring it into compliance. Even though the Clairton Coke Works is “non-compliant” with existing requirements by ACHD’s own reckoning, the draft permit does not include such a schedule. Second, the testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements that the draft permit would impose on several sources within the facility are not sufficient to assure compliance with the emission limits for those sources,” Baillie explained. Such sources include the facility’s No. 1 and No. 2 Continuous Barge Unloaders, Pedestal Crane Unloader, Coal Transfer Process, Surge Bins and Bunkers, Coke Transfer Process, No. 1 and No. 2 Coke Screening Stations, Coal and Coke Recycle Screening Process, and Peters Creek Coke Screening Process. “We welcome and encourage residents who have been impacted by emissions from the Clairton Coke Works in joining us in telling the health department: Don’t squander this opportunity to make improvements to the health and quality of life for people who live near and downwind of the facility,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “Let’s send the message to ACHD and U.S. Steel: We demand better.” How to Submit a Public Comment About U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works’ Title V Permit Members of the public may submit written comments to ACHD by U.S. Mail at 301 39th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201. Any comments you submit should reference the draft Title V Operating Permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works (#0052-OP22). Or you can use our form and sample language to email your comment to ACHD. Check it out: Editor's Note: The deadline to submit comments has passed. Thanks to all who weighed in! #USSteel #AlleghenyCounty #MonValley #alleghenycountyairquality #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #TitleVPermit #ClairtonCokeWorks #airquality

Allegheny County Health Department issued the following as a press release Thursday afternoon. GASP staff is currently reviewing the documents. Check back – this blog will be updated. The Allegheny County Health Department issued $859,300 worth of stipulated penalties against U.S. Steel for Article XXI Air Pollution Control violations and permit violations that occurred at the Clairton Coke Works during the second, third and fourth quarters of 2021. Pursuant to the Department’s agreement that was reached with U.S. Steel in June of 2019, ninety percent (90%) of penalties ($773,370) will be paid to the Community Benefit Trust for impacted communities while the remaining 10% ($85,930) will be paid to the Clean Air Fund. In June 2021, ACHD issued $201,500 worth of stipulated penalties against U.S. Steel for violations that occurred at the Clairton Coke Works during the first quarter of 2021 through March 31, 2021. To view this enforcement action and other air quality enforcement actions issued by ACHD, click here.

Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department today in a press release announced that it has fined U.S. Steel more than $1.8 million for H2S violations. You can read all about that on our blog. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) last week published a comprehensive study analyzing potential sources of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that have been driving exceedances of the Pennsylvania 24-hour average H2S standard at its air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. The 31-page study concluded: “Based on all available data and resources, H2S exceedances that occurred at the Liberty site during the period of Jan. 1, 2020, through March 1, 2022, can be attributed entirely to emissions originating at US Steel’s Clairton coking facility.” It’s been a low bar for good news in the world lately, but the study would have been outstanding news on any day. “This is exactly the sort of in-depth study we’ve been asking the Health Department to conduct for years,” said GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell. “We appreciate the significant effort that must have gone into generating such a detailed report and hope the Air Program’s enforcement staff are able to put the study to good use soon.” For residents who were already 99 percent sure Clairton Coke was the problem all along, we understand the study might not feel newsworthy. Perhaps it feels overdue or just stating the obvious. “We feel your frustration, but at the same time, we cannot understate the importance of this study eliminating that last 1 percent of doubt,” Campbell said. As you might have observed, U.S. Steel has a tendency to resist – legally – attempts ACHD has made to levy fines or make demands on U.S. Steel to improve its environmental record. With atmospheric data, additional monitoring data, and statistical analysis, the study appears to eliminate U.S. Steel’s access to plausible deniability (i.e., any arguments U.S. Steel might make about other potential sources of H2S). That seems significant, and for the first time in a while, we’re eager to see what comes next. GASP is following this issue closely and will keep you posted on what we find out. #H2S #ClairtonCokeWorksemissions #MonValleyairquality #H2Sexceedance #hydrogensulfide #USSteelemissions #USSteel #MonValley #alleghenycountyairquality #hydrogensulfideexceedance #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks #airquality

Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department issued the following news release Monday morning. The release followed GASP’s publication of a blog highlighting a recent report that places the blame for years of hydrogen sulfide exceedances “entirely” on U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility. Check back, we are following this issue closely and will update you when more information becomes available. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that it has issued a penalty of $1,842,530 against the United States Steel Corporation Clairton Coke Plant for 153 Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) hourly exceedances between January 1, 2020, through March 1, 2022. H2S emissions result in a rotten egg smell and have resulted in longstanding quality of life complaints from residents experiencing the exceedances. “While Allegheny County has been in attainment with federal air standards for two years, we still recognize that there is much to do to ensure that we continue to improve the quality of life of those who call this county home,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “I commend the Health Department for taking this extraordinary step that was over a year in its making and thank them for continued commitment and efforts to hold polluters accountable.” The exceedances were recorded at the Liberty Borough air monitoring station (Liberty Monitor). The fine is the first penalty issued by the Health Department against a single source for H2S exceedances. “As Health Department Director, I’ve made it a priority to empower our Air Quality (AQ) Program staff to aggressively protect the rights of all county residents and visitors to clean, healthy air,” said Dr. Debra Bogen, Allegheny County Health Department Director. “All sources of pollution are held to the same standards, and we will continue to hold accountable any company or facility that does not meet those standards. I applaud the hard work and diligence of our AQ team in collecting and analyzing the voluminous amount of data that resulted in today’s action, and I hope residents do, too.” Pennsylvania’s ambient air quality standards limit concentrations of H2S to 0.005 parts per million per 24-hour period. These ambient standards are incorporated into ACHD’s regulations. Data analyzed by the AQ Team identified 46 days of violation in 2020, 94 in 2021, and 13 from January 1 to March 1, 2022. The Health Department recently completed a study of H2S concentrations recorded at the Liberty Monitor, which is available online on the Air Quality Reports and Studies page, under the heading of Other Air Quality Studies. The study demonstrated through analysis of monitored data that the source of the H2S exceedances was the Clairton Coke Plant. Other potential sources of H2S were evaluated and eliminated as contributors to measured H2S concentrations at the Liberty Monitor. The $1.8 million penalty was determined by several factors, including the number of violations, the severity of each violation, Title V major source status, and the company’s compliance history. The enforcement order is publicly available on the Air Quality Enforcement Actions page of the Health Department’s website or you can download it here. GASP thanks ACHD for taking the enforcement action. “ACHD’s latest enforcement action against U.S. Steel confirms what so many of us long suspected: That U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works is solely to blame for the ongoing exceedances of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average standard. This has been a long time coming,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “GASP thanks the ACHD for the comprehensive report that helped spur the $1.8 million fine. Hopefully, this is the first of many steps the health department will take to rectify this issue once and for all because Mon Valley communities have endured poor air quality for far too long.” Media coverage of the hydrogen sulfide enforcement action against U.S. Steel: U.S. Steel Fined $1.8 Million for Hydrogen Sulfide Emissions at Clairton Plant Environmental Groups: U.S. Steel Fines are a ‘Significant Step Forward’ U.S. Steel Slapped with $1.8M Fine For Alleged Hydrogen Sulfide Emissions U.S. Steel Fined $1.8 Million for ‘Rotten Egg’-Gas Pollution Near Pittsburgh #H2Sexceedances #H2S #ClairtonCokeWorksemissions #hydrogensulfideexceedances #airpollution #MonValleyairquality #hydrogensulfide #USSteelsClairtonCokeWorks #USSteel #hydrogensulfideenforcementactionagainstUSSteel #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD

With all of the news surrounding an air quality-related enforcement order against U.S. Steel this week, GASP wanted to make sure a significant new proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency didn’t get missed – because it’s a big deal. Here’s what happened: Earlier this week, the EPA announced it is proposing new, stronger standards to promote clean air and reduce pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting in the model year 2027. The proposed standards would reduce emissions of smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from heavy-duty gasoline and diesel engines and set updated greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for certain commercial vehicle categories. This proposed rule would ensure the heavy-duty vehicles and engines that drive American commerce and connect people across the country are as clean as possible while charting a path to advance zero-emission vehicles in the heavy-duty fleet. The proposed action would reduce NOx emissions from trucks by as much as 60 percent in 2045 – a move that would result in widespread air quality improvements across the United States, especially in areas already overburdened by air pollution and diesel emissions. The benefits of the proposed rule would exceed its costs by billions of dollars. EPA estimates that “by 2045 the most ambitious option outlined in today’s proposal would result in the following annual benefits”: Up to 2,100 fewer premature deaths 6,700 fewer hospital admissions and emergency department visits 18,000 fewer cases of asthma onset in children 3.1 million fewer cases of asthma symptoms and allergic rhinitis symptoms 78,000 fewer lost days of work 1.1 million fewer lost school days for children The EPA’s latest action is the first step in EPA’s “Clean Trucks Plan” – a series of clean air and climate regulations the agency will develop over the next three years to reduce pollution from trucks and buses and to advance the transition to a zero-emissions transportation future. EPA’s goal is to deliver significant – and needed – public health benefits by designing a program that sets ambitious standards and that are feasible for the trucking industry after giving appropriate consideration to cost and other factors while supporting the American economy. To accomplish this, EPA has engaged with stakeholders and identified several options in the proposal that address the robustness of the standards, the timing for phasing in the standards, options to incentivize early clean technology adoption, and improvements to emissions warranties. The proposed revisions to existing GHG standards for model year 2027 and beyond would set updated GHG emissions standards for subsectors where electrification is advancing at a more rapid pace – think school buses, transit buses, commercial delivery trucks, and short-haul tractors. In a separate action, EPA will be setting new GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles as soon as the model year 2030. This action will more comprehensively address the long–term trend toward zero-emissions vehicles across the heavy-duty sector. A public comment period and hearing will give stakeholders and the public an opportunity to comment on the proposal. “EPA’s existing standards for emissions from heavy-duty vehicles have not been updated in many years,” GASP senior attorney John Baillie said. “ The implementation of these new standards will modernize the heavy-duty vehicle fleet and greatly reduce the harmful emissions that trucks and buses produce.” For more information on the rule on the public comment process, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/proposed-rule-and-related-materials-control-air-1 Check back, this blog will be updated with more information about the public comment period and hearing as soon as that information is available. #airpollution #GHGrules #EnvironmentalProtectionAgency #EPA #dieselemissions #greenhousegasemissions #airquality

The nearly $1 million in stipulated penalties the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) issued recently to U.S. Steel for air quality violations at its Clairton Coke Works facility had many asking: Where does all that money go? Who decides how it will be spent? So, GASP thought it was an opportune time to revisit the U.S. Steel Community Benefit Trust established back in 2019 as part of a settlement agreement between the company and ACHD. How is the U.S. Steel Community Benefit Trust Funded? That 2019 settlement agreement saddled U.S. Steel with a $2.7 million civil penalty and stipulated that 90 percent of it be used to establish the trust, which benefits Clairton, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln, and Port Vue. The remaining 10 percent of that fine was to be paid to the Allegheny County Clean Air Fund (CAF). The agreement also mandated that 90 percent of future stipulated penalties benefit the fund. That means that of the $859,000 civil penalty, $773,370 would be earmarked for the community benefit trust, with the remaining $85,930 to be funneled to the CAF. GASP wants to pause here to make sure everyone understands: The U.S. Steel Community Benefit Trust is funded solely by air quality-related fines from the Clairton Coke Works and its continued existence is dependent on future air quality violations at the facility. “When you read about these projects being completed in your neighborhoods, don’t for one minute think U.S. Steel funded them because they want to be good corporate citizens,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Cambell said. “The communities benefitting from this fund have already paid dearly.” How Does the U.S. Steel Community Trust Work? The community trust is administered by the Smithfield Trust Co., which is paid $3,000 per quarter for that service. The funds are allocated to the communities based on a methodology that takes into consideration things like population and area measured in square miles. Using that methodology, it was determined that Clairton will receive 26.7 percent of the funds, Lincoln will receive 21.9 percent, Glassport will receive 19.9 percent, Port Vue will receive 16.3 percent, and Liberty will receive 15.1 percent. The U.S. Steel Community Benefit Trust is governed by a board composed of one resident from each of the five communities who were “chosen by the respective adjacent communities in whatever manner they choose.” The board meets in private, and the settlement agreement spells out that it must meet at a regular place and time at least once every six months and calls for those meetings to be listed on the official websites of each of the five communities at least 60 days in advance. At those meetings, members will consider and approve projects for funding. What Projects Are Permitted? How Are the U.S. Steel Community Trust Funds Dispersed? To be considered, the settlement agreement states that a project must be “anticipated to improve, protect, or reduce the risk to public health or the environment” and submitted to the board at least 30 days before a meeting. While the settlement agreement addressed ongoing emissions problems at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, the associated supplemental environmental projects do not need to be related to air quality. The money can go toward physical infrastructure improvements such as the construction of a playground or the renovation of green space. Projects that foster the “creation or expansion of programs that are aimed at directly improving the well-being of residents” will also be considered. Projects are approved by a simple majority vote. Here’s another interesting caveat: If a representative from one of the communities is not available to attend and vote it will be “deemed an affirmative vote in favor of any matter before the trust distribution board for a vote at such a meeting.” The agreement also indicates that if the board votes to reject a project, “reasonable detail of the reasons” will be provided. How Can the Public Keep Tabs on How the U.S. Steel Settlement Money is Being Spent? Unfortunately, the settlement agreement requires neither the Allegheny County Health Department nor U.S. Steel to prepare and distribute reports for the public detailing what projects were proposed, approved, and rejected. It simply requires publication of semi-annual account summaries. Those semi-annual reports detail receipts and disbursements and must be posted to the official websites of each of the five communities benefitting from the trust within 60 days of its receipt. Copies of these reports, to be submitted on Jan. 31 and July 31 annually, will also be sent to the Allegheny County Health Department and U.S. Steel. Outside of those receipts, residents would have to do some digging to get more details on what projects had been approved and how much they cost. Last year, GASP staff scoured media reports and municipal meeting minutes to glean such information. That investigation showed that communities used U.S. Steel Benefit Trust money to do everything from pave roads and remove blighted properties to build a community recreational facility and purchase police equipment upgrades. You can read that entire investigation here. What Did Communities Get From the U.S. Steel Benefit Trust in 2021? Each of the communities benefiting from the trust posted the annual account summary to their official website by the deadline except the City of Clairton. As of March 10, the document was still missing from the city’s site. That summary, which provides financial information from Jan. 31, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2021, showed that more than $2.33 million was disbursed during that timeframe: The City of Clairton received two cash disbursements totaling $665,302 in 2021. Community Benefit Trust meeting minute notes show the following projects were approved for funding: $250,000 for a combination solar-powered, Wi-Fi-capable cameras and street lights $200,000 for a recreational facility to be located at 571 Miller Avenue $149,816 for a 2020 Peterbilt Dump Truck equipped with snowplow and salt spreader $48,000 for the demolition of an unspecified abandoned, unsafe structure $35,000 for the demolition of an unsafe structure at 438 St. Clair Avenue Glassport Borough received three cash disbursements in 2021 totaling $431,649. Community Trust meeting minutes from April, August, and November of 2021 show the following projects were approved for funding: $50,470 for blighted property demolition $49,834 for a police vehicle $44,967 for nozzles and self-contained breathing device apparatus $20,600 for the 9th Street Park Development $19,557 for Honor Roll Park Beautification Phase II $9,715 for what the minutes describe only as “lifesaving devices” $6,669 emergency apparatus garage Liberty Borough received one cash disbursement totaling $87,187 in 2021. Community Trust meeting minutes show the following projects were approved for funding: $41,994 for air cylinders for the fire department $21,448 for a new tractor for the public works department $15,181 for body and car cameras for the police department $8,563 for a SAM trailer Lincoln Borough received four cash disbursements totaling $613,332. Community Trust meeting minutes show the following projects were approved for funding: $101,000 for a community office and warming center $56,809 for self-contained breathing apparatus equipment for the volunteer fire department $70,000 for what is described in the minutes only as “quality of life” $50,000 for salt shed replacement Port Vue Borough received one cash disbursement totaling $534,500. Community Trust meeting minutes from April, August, and November of 2021 did not include any information on projects for which Port Vue requested funding. A review of 2021 and 2022 borough council meeting minutes reference various upgrades to Romine Park and the community recreation center as well as equipment and training for the volunteer fire department. No further information could be gleaned from available public sources. “When the U.S. Steel Community Trust was first announced, the immediate concern for GASP was transparency, and it still remains a concern,” Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “GASP staff needed to scan multiple municipal websites and many months of meeting minutes to find even basic information about the projects paid for through the trust. We don’t think residents should have to be detectives to follow the money.” Editor’s Note: Here are the dates for the upcoming Community Benefit Trust meetings for 2022. Please note that one already took place Feb. 24. 7:30 p.m. June 9 – City of Clairton, 551 Ravensburg Blvd, Clairton, PA 15025 7 p.m. Aug. 25 – Borough of Glassport, 440 Monongahela Ave, Glassport, PA 15045 7 p.m. Nov. 17 – Borough of Lincoln, 45 Abe’s Way, Elizabeth, PA 15037

We blogged earlier this month about the installation of new equipment at the J.B Tonkin Compressor Station in Murrysville, Westmoreland County, and the significant reductions in that facility’s potential to emit ozone-forming pollutants that will follow. This week’s Pennsylvania Bulletin contains similar good news about another compressor station – Texas Eastern Transmission’s Holbrook Compressor Station in Greene County (which is right next to Ryerson Station State Park). According to the Bulletin, the Holbrook Compressor Station will swap out 12 existing compressor engines for two low-NOx compressor engines with oxidation catalysts, and will also replace its two existing emergency generators with a single, new natural-gas-fired emergency generator. Based on the facility’s Title V Operating Permit and the notice published in the Bulletin, it appears that the facility’s potential to emit NOx will decrease from as much as 1100 tons per year to 140 tons per year, and its potential to emit VOCs will decrease from as much as 116 tons per year to 62 tons per year. “It bears mention that the facility’s actual emissions are likely to be a lot less than its permitted potential emissions,” GASP staff attorney John Baillie explained. “Still, Texas Eastern Transmission’s investment in more efficient equipment is a positive step that should help control ozone pollution in downwind areas.” #turbines #compressorstations #NOx #VOCs #emissions #HolbrookCompressorStation #GreenCounty #ozone