Earth Week is a great annual reminder of the importance of being in the know about local air quality issues, as well as getting involved with, and using your voice to, affect environmental change. And this Earth Week, GASP wants to help you do that: Get in the Know It’s been said many times, in many ways: Knowledge is power. This is especially true when it comes to air quality issues. Because we know *just* how complex and confusing air quality issues can be, we created the GASP’s Plain-Language Guide to Understanding Local Air Quality. In this guide, we give you the skinny on what air pollutants are a concern locally, where it comes from, how air quality is regulated, as well as how to make an air quality complaint when you smell something foul in the ambient air. You can check our guide out here. Understanding what’s in the air will help you mitigate your exposure to air pollutants by keeping an eye on air quality data sources. Our local air quality regulator, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has an entire section of its website dedicated to air quality. It includes many resources such as: An air quality dashboard featuring current air quality data from county air quality monitors. Users can also look at air quality over time or during a specific time frame. A spreadsheet showing hourly air quality data by monitor A daily air quality and dispersion forecast An online portal that allows users to create an account and file air quality complaints electronically. Reports can also be made anonymously, which does not require the creation of an account. Residents may also call the health department to make an air quality or odor complaint at 412-412-350-4636. In addition, there are a number of websites where you can obtain real-time air quality information: ACCAN Camera – Allegheny County Clean Air Now partnered with the CREATE Lab to deploy 24/7 documentation of the industrial pollution that harms our health and environment with views of air pollution sources in Neville Township and Emsworth. You can check that on ACCAN’s website. Breathe Project’s Breathe Cams – The Breathe Project operates Breathe Cams, which provide high-resolution, zoomable, 24-hour live feeds of Pittsburgh’s skyline, as well as the Mon Valley and the Ohio River Valley. PurpleAir.com – PurpleAir monitors are relatively low-cost, easy-to-install sensors that give real-time data for levels of particulate matter. When you visit the website, you can search your geographic location to see readings in your area. SmellPGH – The Smell PGH app was developed by Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab, with support from the Heinz Endowments in collaboration with clean air groups like GASP to crowdsource smell so researchers can track how pollutants travel across the Pittsburgh area. Get Involved Making an effort to understand air quality issues is just the first step. Once you’re in the know, it’s time to move to Step 2: Getting involved and making sure your voice is heard. Here are a couple of ways to do that: Consider writing a letter to the editor. They make a difference. So if sharing your standpoint on an issue you care deeply about isn’t enough to nudge you to use your writing chops, consider this: Letters to the editor could help determine news coverage. Why? Because the job of news editors is to help determine what issues are most important to readers, which helps determines coverage. LTEs also send a clear message to policymakers about the issues to which they need to devote more time, attention, and resources. It can also help spur regulatory and legislative change. Show up. There are so many events you can attend either in person or online to learn more about local environmental issues, as well as regularly scheduled meetings of local and county boards. Check out GASP’s events page and consider attending an upcoming meeting or rally – like the one that our friends at PennEnviroment are planning before the May meeting of the Allegheny County Board of Health. If you can’t make a meeting, please know that you can still weigh in on issues being mulled at one by submitting written public comments. You can also join and otherwise help support the organizations on the front lines of air quality and environmental advocacy. Consider becoming a member of GASP and be sure to bookmark our website, and join the conversation by liking us on Facebook and Instagram and following us on Twitter.

This Earth Week, we want to challenge you to consider how much your transportation choices might impact local air quality – and what small changes you could take to make a big difference. Case in point: If your main source of transportation is a car or truck, know that just 10 minutes of idling time contributes about a pound of carbon dioxide – a primary contributor to global warming – into the air. That’s why GASP has long advocated for anti-idling laws and partnered with local businesses and communities to help remind folks to turn off their engines by providing “No Idling” signage. Most recently, we were pumped to partner with the City of Pittsburgh to create a Public Service Announcement to get the word out about the importance of NOT idling. We hope it also helped dispel the common misconception that idling is better for the car and the environment than shutting off and restarting your engine. You can check out the video here: But when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, there are other transportation choice changes you can make: Seems obvious but drive less. This could mean walking or biking when you can, utilizing Pittsburgh’s bike-share program or taking public transit, carpooling, or using a ride-sharing service when possible. Experts also advise folks to plan ahead to make the most efficient route when running errands, and if your employer allows it, consider skipping your commute entirely by working from home when permitted. Don’t drive like a jag. Seriously – the way that you drive can absolutely impact the emissions emitted. So go easy on that gas pedal and those brakes and remember that maintenance matters. Regular oil changes and tune-ups help ensure your vehicle is running as efficiently as possible. Consider a more fuel-efficient vehicle. There are many “greener” driving options out there for consumers these days. There are electric cars, hybrid vehicles, and those that run on cleaner-burning fuel. If you are or will be in the market for a new vehicle, check out the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Vehicle Guide here. Don’t forget about the air pollution implications of your home deliveries. Reduce your impact by asking to have your packages sent in as few shipments as possible and choose companies that use minimal and/or eco-friendly packaging. We hope you take the opportunity to get out and explore some of those other local transportation options. Yes, there are ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft. But if you’re interested in getting into the biking game, check out our friends at Bike Pittsburgh – they have so many resources (including the Bike Commuting 101 Guide). We also recommend you register for Healthy Ride, our local bike share program, and rent a bike from any of Healthy Ride stations (P.S. they are available 24/7 for as little as $2 for every half hour or for free with a PAT ConnectCard). The Port Authority of Pittsburgh provides public transit via bus, light rail, and inclines. Also wanted to know that PAT encourages riders to combine modes of transportation to reduce dependence on cars, so every bus provides a bike rack.

This week we’ve talked a lot about actions that you can take to help reduce your personal impact on the environment and local air quality regarding the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and the ways in which you get around town. As Earth Week winds down, we wanted to shift our attention to Earth- and air quality-friendly actions we can take at home and at work to avoid air pollution pitfalls and ensure you and your crew can breathe healthier air there. Because indoor air quality is a concern. Recent studies show indoor air quality can sometimes be more polluted than outdoor air if you can believe. Then there’s exposure to consider. Americans, on average, spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are as much as five times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. Some of these pollutants come from sources inside the building themselves – like combustion sources such as fireplaces, tobacco smoke, and cooking appliances. But there are also cleaning supplies, paints, and insecticides from the degradation of old building materials or from new materials that are off-gassing. We also know indoor air quality can become unhealthy due to outdoor sources of pollution making their way inside our homes, schools, and office buildings through open doors and windows, ventilation systems, and cracks in structures. Some pollutants come indoors through building foundations. Harmful smoke from chimneys and industrial sources can enter homes to pollute the air in the home and neighborhood. In areas with contaminated groundwater or soils, volatile chemicals can enter buildings through the same process. With all that said, here’s the good news: Indoor air pollution concentrations from individual sources usually do not pose a serious health risk by themselves. The bad news: The majority of homes have more than one source of indoor air pollution. We’re talking more than radon and asbestos (which are serious concerns that you can learn more about here and here). We’re talking about other stuff like dust, smoke, and fumes from home products. Here are some ways to take action to improve your indoor air quality: Get going with spring cleaning. Commit to a deep clean this spring. Wipe down windows and walls. Remember to launder curtains and rugs and bedding – all of which tend to trap allergens that will have your eyes watering and your throat itching. You can also consider switching to natural cleansers that have less-harsh fumes. Think filters. Question for you: When did you last change the filters that help keep your furnace and air conditioning systems clean? Follow-up question: Do you know the state of your ductwork? Because having it cleaned can make a huge difference in your indoor air quality. You can get more information on air filters this handy guide from the EPA. Seek out more resources. You can find more information on how to keep your indoor air clean by checking out these helpful infographics on the best ways to clean and disinfect your home created by our friends at Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE). Also check out Pittsburgh-based ROCIS (Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces), one of our partner organizations that has a number of helpful resources. #airfilters #airpollution #airquality #indoorairquality

Pennsylvania’s road to entering the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) was a rocky one. We kept you posted on the drama, most recently blogging about how the carbon-capture program in the Keystone State was subject to a challenge in court, preventing them from going into effect. Now we’re happy to tell you that this particular soap opera has a happy ending (for now): The regulations went into effect Saturday, April 23, when they were finally published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. “For anyone keeping score at home, the Commonwealth Court stayed publication of the regulations in an ex parte proceeding in early April. Because no hearing was ever held on the stay, it was dissolved by operation of Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1531(d) after five days,” GASP senior attorney John Baillie explained. “The dissolution of the stay also effectively discontinued the state Department of Environmental Protection’s appeal of the stay to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, so challenges to the legality of the regulations are back before the Commonwealth Court, at least for the time being.” We break down everything you need to know about RGGI in a previous post, but in a nutshell: Beginning on July 1, the regulations will cap carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from electric generating units generating capacity of at least 25 megawatts. Additionally, those facilities will be required to purchase carbon dioxide emission allowances, which they can trade with other facilities subject to the regulations. Facilities subject to the regulations will also be subject to additional emission limits and monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements. The best part? The proceeds from the purchase of allowances will be used to fund energy efficiency projects. For those who want to get into the nitty-gritty: The regs cap carbon dioxide emissions from Energy Generating Units in the state to 40.7 million tons for the second half of 2022, and 75.5 million tons for the full 2023 calendar year. The cap decreases every year thereafter until 2030, when it reaches (and will remain at) 58 million tons. “Note, however, that this year’s cap might not force any actual, immediate emission reductions,” Baillie said. “ In 2018 – the latest year included in the DEP’s Pennsylvania Greenhouse Gas Inventory – the total carbon dioxide emissions was reported to be about 73 million tons. Because carbon dioxide emissions from energy generating units have been trending steadily lower for years, they are likely to be somewhat lower in 2022 than they were in 2018.” #RegionalGreenhouseGasInitiative #RGGI #CarbonDioxideemissions #emissions #DEP

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Tuesday announced that it is seeking written public comment on its draft 2023 Air Monitoring Network Plan, an annual report that provides a detailed description of how and where air pollution is monitored in Allegheny County. Little background: Air Monitoring Network Plans are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They provide the specific location of each monitoring station, siting criteria, monitoring methods and objectives, frequency of sampling, pollutants measured at each station, and aerial photographs showing their physical locations. The 2023 plan is substantially similar to the 2022 Air Monitoring Network Plan except for the proposed move to the air monitoring station from the Clack Campus in Lawrenceville to Fulton Street on the Northside. For inquiring minds that want to learn more specifics, a summary of all proposed changes may be found in the Executive Summary of the draft plan, beginning on page six. The county’s air monitoring network includes nine locations: Avalon, Clairton, Flag Plaza, Glassport, Harrison, Lawrenceville, Liberty, North Braddock, Parkway East (Wilkinsburg), and South Fayette. One or more of the following pollutants is measured at each site: sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, total reactive nitrogen, ozone, PM10, PM2.5, and air toxics. Comments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on June 9 and may be submitted via e-mail to david.good@alleghenycounty.us or by mail to: Allegheny County Health Department Attention: David D. Good Air Quality Program 301 39th Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201 All correspondence must include first and last names and a complete mailing address. GASP staff is reviewing the plan and will be offering public comments. We’ll keep you posted so stay tuned. #airqualitymonitors #AlleghenyCounty #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #2023AirMonitoringNetworkPlan

GASP joined residents and fellow clean air advocates at a public hearing in Clairton Wednesday night to tell the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) that its revised coke oven regulations must do more to protect the community from emissions emanating from U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works operations. In his testimony, GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell would have homed in on the Mon Valley’s hydrogen sulfide (H2S) problem and encouraged health officials to take advantage of this opportunity to make meaningful changes to the revised regulations. We said “would have” because, despite registering to speak via the ACHD website well before the deadline, GASP was not called on to testify. We get that technical glitches do happen and have reached out to ACHD to get answers and prevent such issues from happening in the future – the department’s IT department is looking into it. “We showed up not only to provide comments on the coke oven regulations but to also support and help buoy the voices and experiences of the Mon Valley residents who have bravely spoken out at public hearings despite jeering bullies like the ones we saw in full force last night,” Patrick said. “So while it was disappointing not being able to testify, we’re glad we were able to be there to support our friends.” So here’s what we *would* have said if GASP was provided the opportunity to comment – HUGE shoutout to our friend Mark Dixon, a local filmmaker and activist, who kindly filmed Patrick following last night’s meeting. We highly recommend you check out the trailer for his upcoming documentary, “Inversion: The Unfinished Business of Pittsburgh’s Air” here. Stay tuned – we’ll keep you posted as the process continues and more information on the coke oven regulations becomes available. #H2Sexceedances #cokeovenregulations #H2S #cokeovenrules #airpollution #USSteelMonValleyWorks #hydrogensulfide #LibertyMonitor #hydrogensulfideexceedance #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #cokeovenemissions #cokeovenregulation #ACHD #USSteelClairtonCokeWorks #airquality

BIG NEWS: U.S. Steel will pay a $1.5 million penalty and make extensive improvements at its Edgar Thomson facility in Braddock Borough as part of a settlement announced Tuesday with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) for longstanding air pollution violations. The consent decree addresses numerous Clean Air Act violations dating back to 2016 at the Edgar Thomson Works. The one-mile radius around the facility is an area of potential environmental justice concern, exceeding the state average for the percentage of low-income populations and for minority populations. Here’s what a release issued by the EPA said: “Everyone has the right to clean air and the Allegheny County Health Department continues to work to ensure that right for all residents,” said ACHD Director Dr. Debra Bogen, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department. “This settlement is another step toward that goal in Braddock and surrounding communities, many of which are designated environmental justice communities. We are pleased that a large portion of the Health Department’s share of the civil penalty will directly benefit Braddock and other Mon Valley communities that experience a disproportionate share of the environmental impact of the pollution this consent decree concerns.” Under the settlement, U.S. Steel is required to make numerous improvements in training, monitoring and work practices to increase compliance and timely response to air pollution. Additionally, the company is tasked with conducting studies on potential improvements to its pollution control systems. The primary pollutant of concern is particulate matter, including PM 2.5. Particulate matter contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small that they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems. Some particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter can get deep into your lungs and some may even get into your bloodstream. Particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) pose the greatest risk to health, including susceptibility to respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory distress, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. Although the Pittsburgh area – which includes Braddock – continues to be plagued by air quality issues that face many metropolitan areas, the ACHD announced in April that for the second year in a row, Allegheny County has met federal air quality standards for PM2.5 at the eight air quality monitors that it monitors around the city. The settlement announced today also includes a supplemental environmental project solely credited against ACHD’s share of the penalty in which U.S. Steel would provide funding to the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development for a specific environmental project. Specifically, U.S. Steel will provide $750,000 in funding to the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development in support of the creation of a multimodal connection trail for hikers and bicyclists that links the Great Allegheny Passage in Rankin Borough to the Westmoreland Heritage Trail in Trafford Borough through the Turtle Creek Valley. The project will create another multimodal connection to communities near U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Work, including Rankin, Braddock, North Braddock, East Pittsburgh, Turtle Creek, Wilmerding, Monroeville, Pitcairn, and Trafford, North Versailles, East McKeesport and Wall. ACHD, the co-plaintiff with EPA, is the local governmental entity charged with enforcement of Allegheny County’s air pollution control regulations. ACHD has participated fully in the collection of evidence, and the negotiation of the consent decree. For an overview of the Clean Air Act and more information about air pollution, visit: https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview GASP has been demanding answers for YEARS about exactly when – and how – U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson facility was being forced to comply with clean air laws since a 2017 joint enforcement order from ACHD and EPA. “U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson plant has harmed the health and quality of life of Mon Valley residents for too long. They deserve answers and they deserve action,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “Our attorneys are sifting through the more than 150-page consent decree and will likely be submitted public comments when the time comes.” GASP continues to follow this issue closely. Stay tuned, we’ll keep you posted. #airqualityviolations #EdgarThomson #USSteel #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #EPA #EdgarThomsoncomplianceplan #MonValleyWorks

They say life is a game of inches. We think environmental advocacy is, too. For us, the fight for cleaner air started back in 1969 in our founder’s living room, and with your help, we’ve been growing and scrapping ever since. While the wheels of progress move more slowly than any of us would like,  it’s crucial to stop every once in a while and assess just how far all those inches have brought us. Now is one of those times. Over the past year, we’ve seen those wheels move just a little faster, slowly gaining momentum.  And if there’s one thing that we’ve learned over the past 53 years, it’s that momentum matters. Case in point: Hydrogen sulfide (or H2S for short). If you live within smelling distance of the Mon Valley, you know the tell-tale H2S stench of rotten eggs all too well. You know how it seeps into your home, how it can be so overpowering that it wakes you from sleep, how it can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat. GASP intensified our work on H2S  over the past year, demanding that the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) get to the bottom of what was causing regular exceedances of the H2S standard in the Mon Valley as well as develop a plan to remedy the problem. Many of you reading this joined us at public hearings and spoke up at Board of Health meetings to send the message to our county about air quality: we deserve more from our public health leaders. They’re starting to listen. The ACHD announced in March that it had conducted a comprehensive study analyzing the potential sources of H2S driving exceedances of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average standard at its Liberty Borough air quality monitor – exactly the sort of in-depth study GASP has advocated for over the past few years. The study found – and we’re quoting directly: “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.” That mic drop was followed days later by the announcement of a $1.8 million enforcement action against U.S. Steel for a spate of H2S violations at its Clairton Coke Works. A few days after, the ACHD issued yet another multi-million dollar fine against the steel-making giant for even more air quality violations at the coke facility. Just this month came some very good news: approval of a $30,000 Clean Air Fund request to finance the development of a research study to measure the impact of hydrogen sulfide and other airborne pollutants on the health of Allegheny County residents. To us, these actions exemplify how much can be accomplished when watchdog organizations like us team up with people like you – people who aren’t afraid to say, “We deserve better. Now we’re demanding better.” Over the past few months, GASP has welcomed new board members and expanded the scope of our watchdog work. We’ve embarked on a new era of education and activism and hope you’ll join us for the ride. You really have been the best co-pilot. We promise it will be worth it. Right now, there are many exciting programs in the works. This summer, we’ll begin our Air Quality Ambassador work with the ACHD, helping to educate the community about the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule and ensuring they are armed with the best information and signed up for public health alerts. GASP will also be starting a brand new “boot camp” for local elected officials to help them understand all things air quality, and what they can do to be better public health stewards. Given all this positive change, we thought it would be fitting to announce something else that’ll be different about GASP moving forward: our logo (check out that image above). While we loved our colorful, ‘70s-era emblem, it’s time for us to show outwardly what we’ve known to be true for quite a while; we’ve evolved. With your support, we’ll continue to evolve. When you make a donation, know we greatly appreciate the support and will put that money to good use. You can donate by check or via our website here. If you prefer, our member services manager Kathy Lawson can also process credit card donations over the phone – just email her at kathy@gasp-pgh.org. Let’s work together to keep the momentum and the wheels of progress moving. Yours For Clean Air, Patrick Campbell, Executive Director Jonathan Nadle, President

Climate change is more and more evident around the world, from storms and floods to droughts and wildfires. Pennsylvania is particularly problematic. The Keystone State remains among the heaviest fossil carbon emitters in the nation, and after a brief pandemic dip, our emissions are ticking up again. Sadly, the majority of Pennsylvania lawmakers are not taking climate change seriously, and this June activists from across the Commonwealth – GASP included – will converge on Harrisburg to call them to account for their inaction. This is where you come in. One of the things we’ll be taking with us to Harrisburg is a petition demanding aggressive Climate Action. Here are five reasons we think you’ll want to join us in signing it: Reason #1. Fracking and Climate Change: How Emissions from the Oil & Gas Industry Are Fueling the Climate Crisis Pennsylvania was the epicenter of the start of Marcellus Shale drilling boom, and all these years later state residents – especially those living in frontline fracking communities – know its impact on environmental and human health. But how does the fracking industry impact the burgeoning climate crisis? Our friends at Food and Water Watch counted the ways in its blog, “9 Ways Fracking Is the Worst – Climate Change is Top of the List.” Here’s an excerpt we found particularly relevant: Natural gas consists mostly of the potent greenhouse gas methane, which traps about 86 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Methane leaks from oil and gas operations, including pipelines, are the number one source of human-caused methane pollution in the country. This means that the greenhouse gas footprint of fracked natural gas is actually worse than coal and oil because methane traps more heat in the atmosphere. Scientists warn that if our planet heats up 2° Celsius more, it could cause irreversibly destructive climate change. Fracked gas is no “bridge fuel” to renewables, it simply substitutes one dirty fuel (coal) for another (fracked gas), making climate change even more costly and destructive in the coming decades. Reason #2: Coal & Climate Change: How Use of this Dirty Fossil Fuel Impacts the Climate Crisis Transforming coal into coke, an ingredient in steelmaking is a dirty process; just ask anyone who lives in the vicinity of a facility like U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. Local residents know that exposure to coke oven emissions is linked to myriad health problems such as respiratory and cardiovascular ailments and increased cancer risk. For all those reasons and more, GASP has ramped up its outreach and educational efforts over the past several years to ensure southwestern Pennsylvania residents understand how emissions from coke production impact our region’s public health, focusing mostly on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The human and environmental impacts of coke oven gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane can’t be ignored and their role in the climate crisis shouldn’t be, either. Indeed, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found fossil fuel emissions are the dominant cause of global warming. Consider this: In 2018, a whopping 89 percent of CO2 emissions in the United States emanated from fossil fuels and industry. It’s been estimated that fossil fuel emissions are responsible for one-third of the global average temperature increase that’s occurred so far. That makes it the single greatest source of global temperature rise. For all these reasons, environmental advocates at all levels are pushing for more stringent regulation of coke ovens. In fact, the Allegheny County Health Department is in the midst of updating its coke oven regulations right now. You can read the latest on those revisions, and GASP’s take on them, here. Reason #3: Methane & Climate Change: How this Super-Potent Air Pollutant is Accelerating the Climate Crisis Experts estimate that at least a quarter of today’s global warming is being driven by methane produced by human activity from the energy, industry, agriculture, land use, and waste management sectors. Over the past year, GASP has shone a spotlight on one of the leading sources of methane in the United States: food waste. Nationally, one-sixth of our methane emissions stem from wasted food decomposing in landfills. The good news is that over the past few years, a local nonprofit has championed this issue and helped our area more efficiently tackle the food waste problem. Since its inception, our friends at 412 Food Rescue have rescued has redirected more than 20 million pounds of food in the western Pennsylvania region, equating to 18 million meals and mitigating 11 million pounds of CO2 emissions in the process. #4: Plastic & Climate Change: How Plastics Propel Climate Change You might not realize it, but when you reach into the convenience store cooler for a beverage or other product packaged in single-use plastic, you’re indirectly playing into our air pollution problem. That’s because pollution abounds at every step of the plastic life cycle. Most plastics are made from fossil fuels, which produce numerous emissions when they are extracted from the earth. Some plastics contain phthalates, a class of chemicals used to soften plastics and convey other desirable characteristics. Unfortunately, these chemicals are also known as endocrine disrupters and human exposure, through ingestion, inhalation, and absorption. Exposure is associated with a range of health problems, ranging from infertility to cancer. Then there’s disposal to consider. While many consumers believe that plastics that can be recycled are recycled when they drop them in the weekly collection bin, that isn’t always the case. Here’s why: Many common types of plastic can’t be handled by typical recycling equipment.  Sometimes these recyclable plastics are incinerated or simply landfilled instead, or wind up in waterways and ultimately the oceans, where they are often lethal to marine life. Only about 9 percent of all the plastic ever made has been recycled. Speaking of incineration… Plastic decomposes at an extremely slow rate and is quickly filling up our landfills. However, more than 40 percent of the world’s garbage (including plastic) is incinerated instead of being shipped to dumps, resulting in dangerous chemicals being released into the air environment air, negatively impacting human health, and contributing to climate change. Reason #5: Petrochemicals & Climate Change: Cracker Plants’ Role in the Climate Crisis The extraction, production, transportation, and use of petrochemicals worldwide drive the climate crisis, while also polluting and degrading air, land, and water. The Shell ethane cracker plant in Beaver County will emit half as much CO2 as the entire City of Pittsburgh. The plant is expected to produce as much as 1.6 million tons of polyethylene pellets known as “nurdles” – much of which will be transformed into wasteful single-use plastics. Studies predict cracker plants’ voracious appetite for natural gas will require more than 1000 new gas wells every three to five years, each emitting climate-disrupting air pollutants like CO2 and methane into the ambient air. So, have you heard enough? Ready to sign? Here’s the petition – just fill in your info and we’ll take care of the rest! Easy peasy. Editor's Note: The deadline to sign the petition has passed. Thank you to everyone who joined us in demanding climate action!

One of the cornerstones of GASP’s clean air advocacy is watchdog work. We keep a close eye on more than just air quality data and emissions emanating from industrial polluters – we also work to keep air quality regulators accountable. Here in Allegheny County, that means keeping track of how efficiently our air local quality regulator, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), is managing the issuance of new air quality permits and the renewal of old ones. GASP’s legal team first sounded the alarm about a backlog of applications for new or renewed Title V Operating Permits for major sources of air pollution in Allegheny County way back in 2016. Since then, we’ve provided periodic updates about ACHD’s efforts to whittle down that backlog, and even expanded our watchdog work to include information regarding the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) permit backlog. “Yes, strides have been made by the county and state level to reduce the backlog. But there are still too many major sources of air pollution currently operating under an expired permit – and amazingly some that are operating without any operating permit at all,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “It’s clear that more must be done.” Here’s what our research uncovered: First, a little bit of background info: Operating permits for major sources of air pollution are required by Title V of the Clean Air Act and are commonly called Title V Operating Permits. A Title V Operating Permit for a particular facility must contain all of the operating requirements that air pollution laws impose on it. This helps facilitate compliance with those requirements – both regulators and the public can use a facility’s Title V Operating Permit to see what requirements it has to help determine whether the facility is complying with them. A major source must apply for a Title V Operating Permit once it begins normal operations. Good for five years, sources must apply to renew their Title V Operating Permits before their old ones expire. The Clean Air Act, Pennsylvania’s air pollution control rules, and local air pollution control regulations require ACHD complete its review of any complete permit application within 18 months. Notably, the Clean Air Act allows a source that has submitted a complete application for a Title V Operating Permit to continue to operate pending the responsible agency’s final approval of the application, even if agency approval takes years. The Clean Air Act also requires that the operations of the state and local programs that administer Title V Operating Permits be funded entirely from the emissions and permit fees paid by the sources subject to the requirements of Title V. We first blogged about the backlogs of applications for new and renewed operating permits for major sources of air pollution that existed in Allegheny County, where such sources are regulated by ACHD and DEP’s Southwest Regional Office (SWRO) in September 2016. In April 2018, we updated that research and expanded it to include sources permitted by DEP’s other five regional offices. We updated  that research again in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Notably, the fees that DEP charges for permit applications were increased in early 2021.  The old fee structure was purportedly insufficient to fund the operations of DEP’s Air Quality Bureau and the increased fees are purportedly sufficient to allow the Air Quality Bureau to fulfill its mission.  ACHD also revised its fee schedule to track DEP’s in 2021. “This is really the first year that we would hope to see if the fee increases are having a positive effect on turnaround times for Title V Operating Permits but, in fact, it looks like the fee increases, unfortunately, have had little positive impact,” GASP senior attorney John Baillie said. Here’s where things stand now: There are now 23 major sources operating in Allegheny County and two of those facilities have applied for, but have never been issued, Title V Operating Permits: ATI Flat-Rolled Products (which was formerly known as Allegheny Ludlum Brackenridge Works) and Eastman Chemicals & Resins. Although ACHD published a draft Title V Operating Permit for Allegheny Ludlum’s Brackenridge Works in 2016, that draft revealed problems with the way proposed emission limits for the facility were determined and those problems have yet to be resolved, further delaying issuance of the Title V Operating Permit. Eastman Chemical is subject to a 2011 federal and state Consent Decree that has a direct impact on its air quality permits and that effectively precluded the issuance of a Title V Operating Permit until it has been satisfied (which has yet to occur). Eastman Chemical finally submitted its application for a Title V Operating Permit earlier this year. Then there are the facilities with expired permits. ACHD has failed to act on renewal applications for another three of those 23 major sources within 18 months as its regulations require: Now let’s pivot to DEP’s permit backlog, which we will examine by region. DEP’s Southwest Region For purposes of air quality permitting, the region includes sources in Beaver, Cambria, Greene, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties. Responsibility for administering the Title V permitting program for sources in Armstrong and Indiana Counties was transferred from the SWRO to DEP’s Northwest Regional Office in early 2019. We currently count 51 major sources in the Southwest Region. One of those facilities, the Brunner Landfill in Beaver County, has applied for, but never been issued, a Title V Operating Permit. Another six sources in the SWRO have renewal applications for operating permits that have been pending for more than 18 months. DEP’s Northwest Region The Northwest Regional Office includes Armstrong and Indiana Counties for Title V permitting purposes, as well as Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, and Venango Counties.  We count 65 active major sources of air pollution in the Northwest Region. One of those 65 facilities has had a renewal application for its Title V Operating Permit pending for more than 18 months: DEP’s Northcentral Region DEP’s Northcentral Region includes Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, and Union Counties. We counted 53 major sources of air pollution in the Northcentral Region. None of them have a renewal application that has been pending for more than 18 months. All sites in the region either have a current Title V Operating Permit or submitted an application for a renewal within the last 18 months. DEP’s Southcentral Region DEP’s Southcentral Region includes Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntington, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, and York Counties.  We counted 111 active major sources of air pollution in these counties, none of which have had a renewal application for a Title V Operating Permit pending for more than eighteen months. All major sources in DEP’s Southcentral Region either have a current Title V Operating Permit or submitted a renewal application within the last 18 months. DEP’s Northeast Region DEP’s Northeast Region includes Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuykill, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties. We counted 60 active major sources of air pollution in those counties, four of which have had applications for their Title V Operating Permits pending for at least 18 months. The American Zinc Recycling facility is subject to a proposed Consent Decree with the United States and DEP that involves violations of the air pollution laws; presumably, the Title V Operating Permit for that facility will not be renewed until the facility has fully complied with that Consent Decree and its terms can be incorporated into the permit. Also worth noting: DEP’s eFACTS website (which tracks the status of facility permits) does not show that Keystone Recovery has applied to renew or replace its operating permit as of May 25, 2022; a source violates the air pollution laws if it continues to operate without submitting a timely application to renew or replace its operating permit. DEP’s Southeast Region DEP’s Southeast Region includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties for purposes of permitting sources of air pollution (Philadelphia’s Air Management Services administers the Title V permitting program for facilities located in Philadelphia). We counted 86 active major sources of air pollution in the Southeast Region, three of which have had renewal applications for Title V Operating Permits pending for more than 18 months. Here’s a summary of what the permit backlogs at ACHD and DEP’s regional offices have looked like since 2018: “The results of this year’s investigation are really a mixed bag,” Baillie said.  “It is encouraging to see how the agencies have improved their performance in recent years, but discouraging to see that some agencies still lag behind even after they increased permitting fees.”