Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 9:37 a.m. to include a link to the Allegheny County Board of Health meeting. ACHD posted the video to its Facebook page Wednesday evening. We joined fellow environmental advocates and residents Wednesday to send a message to county leaders: They must do more to protect the health and wellbeing of local residents dealing with all-too-frequent bouts of unhealthy air quality and illegal emissions from local air polluters like the U.S. Steel. GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell was among dozens who attended a rally for clean air organized by our friends over at Penn Environment. The event took place outside the City-County building downtown just moments before the Allegheny County Board of Health was set to meet. Many of the same people who attended and spoke out at the rally also addressed the board, imploring members to help residents and environmental watchdog groups get through to the Allegheny County Health Department that its current strategy to engage with the public lacks both transparency and timely communication on air quality matters that impact public health. Patrick was among those who presented public comment. Here’s what he told them once they finally got to the public comments section of the meeting: Good afternoon. I’m Patrick Campbell, the executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution. GASP is an environmental watchdog group working to improve our region’s air quality since 1969. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I’m before this Board to once again share our concern about extremely high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide at the Liberty monitor on April 23rd , 24th, and 25th that led to exceedances of PA’s 24-hour average standard. For the better part of two days, H2S levels were between two and FOUR TIMES higher than the allowable level at the Liberty monitor. Unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter coupled with an overwhelming rotten egg odor spurred residents to use social media and the SmellPGH app to voice concerns, fears, and physical symptoms like itchy eyes, throat irritation, headache and asthma attacks. GASP did what we could to alert the public about the exceedances in fine particulate matter and spikes in H2S – the highest one-hour values since 2015 – and educate them about what H2S is, how it impacts people and where it comes from here in Allegheny County. We felt we had to. While the Allegheny County Health Department issued a Mon Valley Warning addressing the unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter, it did nothing to educate and prepare residents about how to protect themselves or their families from harmful air quality during those three days. On the days of April 23rd , 24th, and 25th residents, and “residents” is far too much of a diminutive term. People, human beings – human beings had to choose between opening their windows to cool their homes or keep them closed to protect their health, to choose between letting their children play outside or not to limit their exposure, to choose between exercising outside or exercising indoors or skipping it altogether. Or, or worst of all, these human beings living in the county were completely unaware of the abysmal air quality and how that harms their health because they didn’t know. GASP has been before this Board of Health before asking you to exercise your authority to EXPECT more transparent, effective communication from the county’s Health Department. Because it is just that, a health department, charged with robust regulation, enforcement, and communication on behalf of the public so they are equipped with the best knowledge available to protect themselves during days with poor air quality. The residents, the human beings of Allegheny County deserve to know how to protect themselves and the people they love from bad air that will hurt their health. Thank you for your time and consideration. Note: GASP wants to be sure everyone knows that despite the press release distributed to the public indicating that a livestream option would be available for those who could not attend in person,  residents, air quality advocates, and at least one member of the Pittsburgh media publicly asked ACHD through official communications channels for information on whether a stated tech issue was being fixed, or if a recording would be available. ACHD responded only after the meeting had concluded, apologizing in a Facebook post for what it called “technical difficulties.” “It’s unbelievably unfortunate that members of the public unable to attend in person were denied the opportunity to attend a board meeting that only occurs four times a year,” Campbell said after the meeting. “We understand that ‘technical issues’ happen, but health leaders need to understand how this looks from a resident’s perspective: They are told the health department wants to foster trust among community members and make it easier for them to access ACHD resources and meetings, but then something like this happens. We’re glad ACHD said they’re sorry, but the best apology is changed behavior.” The recording was ultimately uploaded to ACHD’s Facebook page Wednesday evening. You can view that recording here. #H2S #airpollution #hydrogensulfide #USSteel #LibertyMonitor #rallyforcleanair #PatrickDowd #AlleghenyCounty #PatrickCampbell #alleghenycountyairquality #emissions #fineparticulatematter #airqualityinAlleghenyCounty #ClairtonCokeWorks

The Allegheny County Health Department has reviewed and approved six amended air emissions mitigation plans for those sources which were initially rejected, according to a press release issued Friday afternoon. The plans from pollution sources are required under the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule and outline what steps the source will take to reduce its emissions during any episode. Here’s what the release said: “This is another important step to protect the health and wellbeing of all people in the Mon Valley,” Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen said. “This innovative enforcement tool will require sources of pollution to take measurable steps to reduce emissions on days when such actions are most needed. I again applaud our Air Quality Program for their ongoing work in shepherding this project and bringing real results for residents who have long suffered from poor air quality.”Letters of approval and all submitted plans can be found here.The Mon Valley Episode Rule, an addition to Article XXI – Air Pollution Control Regulations, was signed into law in September 2021 by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald to develop and implement a system to respond to weather-related inversions in the Mon Valley, which can result in episodes of high levels of particulate matter pollution (PM2.5). Under the rule, Air Quality staff monitors pollution forecasts for conditions that could lead to an episode. When conditions are likely to exceed acceptable levels for the Mon Valley, sources are required to follow approved mitigation plans to reduce their emissions. Under the direction of the Health Department Director, an Air Pollution Watch is issued when weather conditions are forecast to cause a high concentration of particulates in the Mon Valley, and an Air Pollution Warning is issued when the exceedance occurs and is expected to continue for 24 hours. The rule applies to sources within or near the following municipalities: Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Clairton, Dravosburg, Duquesne, East McKeesport, East Pittsburgh, Elizabeth Borough, Elizabeth Township, Forest Hills, Forward, Glassport, Jefferson Hills, Liberty, Lincoln, McKeesport, Munhall, North Braddock, North Versailles, Port Vue, Rankin, Swissvale, Turtle Creek, Versailles, Wall, West Elizabeth, West Mifflin, White Oak, Wilkins, Wilmerding and Whitaker. Mon Valley Episode Rule notifications and alerts will be sent out using Allegheny Alerts. To sign up, you’ll need to set up a free subscription by visiting the Allegheny Alerts page. Users can choose to have notifications sent via email, text, and/or phone call and may also download and receive notifications on the Everbridge app. GASP put together this Residents’ Guide to Allegheny County’s Mon Valley Episode Rule & the Facilities Subject to It. Check it out here. #airpollution #MonValleyEpisodeRule #USSteel #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #mitigationplans #airquality

GASP on Tuesday joined residents and fellow air quality advocates to provide input on the draft Title V operating permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility, telling the Allegheny County Health Department not to squander the opportunity to help improve public health (and quality of life) in the Mon Valley. Residents from several municipalities in and around the Clairton facility – which has been operating under a Title V permit that expired back in 2016 – presented powerful testimony, telling ACHD about having to place pillows around doors and windows to keep pungent air from seeping in, about asthma attacks that have become more frequent, about the fear they have just walking out the front door in the morning. They placed the blame squarely on U.S. Steel, telling officials how emissions from its Clairton Coke Works were impacting their health and upending their lives. And they asked ACHD to make the permit as protective of public health as possible. While GASP’s attorneys are crafting written comments, our Executive Director Patrick Campbell was in attendance of the hearing (which took place at the Clairton Municipal Building) to present testimony. Big thanks to our friend Mark Dixon for the photo of Patrick delivering his comments. Here’s what he told ACHD: Photo courtesy of Inversion Documentary Good evening. My name is Patrick Campbell. I am the executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution, an air quality watchdog group founded in 1969. Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony today. GASP attorneys will address the lack of a compliance schedule and other technical deficiencies with U.S. Steel’s Title V permit in written comments, but I’d like to focus on an issue that’s long affected the health and well-being of residents: The all-too-regular exceedances of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average hydrogen sulfide (H2S) standard. The H2S standard – according to PA regulations – is “the maximum concentrations of air contaminants which will be permitted to exist in the ambient air.” Yet, according to ACHD Annual Air Quality Reports for 2011- 2020, H2S levels at the Liberty monitor exceeded this standard on 455 days over those 10 years. Preliminary data show an additional 54 such exceedances in 2021. While ACHD has meticulously documented air quality that unequivocally violates state standards, it has yet to adequately address it. GASP thinks the place to start is painfully obvious: U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. The PA DEP Air Emissions data show the Clairton Coke facility was the largest emitter of H2S in the entire state for each of those 10 years, averaging over 120 tons of H2S emissions annually. U.S. Steel often contends it is not the source of the problem, but it is clear its Clairton Coke Works facility is an enormous part of the problem. And as a contributor to the regular and ongoing exceedances of the H2S air quality standard, the Title V permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke facility must include stronger limitations on H2S emissions. Residents are counting on the public health officials tasked with protecting them to do just that, they – we – are counting on ACHD to help stem the often-sky-high H2S concentrations that force us to close windows on nice days, keep our kids from playing outside, and wake us up at night. Don’t squander this opportunity to make improvements to the health and quality of life for people who live near – and downwind of the Clairton Coke Works. If you missed the meeting and want to hear the full comments, the video can be viewed on the ACHD Facebook page where it was live-streamed Tuesday: We also wanted to give a shout-out to our friends at Clean Air Council, who live-tweeted the hearing and Inversion Documentary for filming the hearing and posting some awesome updates from the hearing: VCAN member Art T is the first speaket. He says ACHD needs to “clean it up or shut it down!” “If they don’t clean up their act, get the hell out of there.” #ClairtonTitleV — Clean Air Council (@CleanAirCouncil) February 22, 2022 Edith Abeyta from North Braddock Residents for Our Future has something to say just by sitting at the Clairton Cokeworks Title V permit hearing. #HappeningNow #smellpgh #AirQuality @GASPPgh @BreatheProject pic.twitter.com/F2JtuT8opu — InversionDocumentary (@inversion_doc) February 22, 2022 Big thanks also to Valley Clean Air Now (VCAN) and Breathe Project, who helped get the word out about the hearing through press releases you can read here and here. Here’s the media coverage of the hearing so far (check back, we’ll add news article links as we see ‘em): Air Quality Advocates Urge County to Add Restrictions to U.S. Steel Permit, City Paper Advocates Say Stricter Air Permit Could Help Ensure Air Quality, WESA Editor’s Note: It’s important to note that written comments on the permit draft can still be submitted to ACHD through the end of the day on March 15. You can find out more information on that process here. Check back, GASP will have sample comment language and an online form that routes your comments straight to ACHD (easy peasy). #emissionsfromClairtonCokeWorks #TitleVoperatingpermit #MonValleyairquality #USSteel #ValleyCleanAirNow #AlleghenyCounty #MonValley #emissions #publiccomments #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks #airquality

Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department approved all six of the resubmitted plans on April 1, 2022. You can read more about that here. The Allegheny County Health Department in a press release Thursday announced that it has reviewed air emissions mitigation plans for 16 sources that are required to submit such plans under the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule; 10 were approved, and six were rejected. GASP on Wednesday was the first to tell you about the plans that were rejected – among them, U.S. Steel’s. You can read specifically about the U.S. Steel rejections here. Here’s what the release stated: Enforcement orders identifying deficiencies in the six sources were issued on Jan. 31 after the Air Quality Program determined that the submitted plans were inadequate. Sources were instructed to resubmit plans with more information and/or pollution reductions.“The Mon Valley Episode Rule is an important and innovative enforcement tool designed to protect people in an area that has long suffered from poor air quality,” Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen said. “Everyone has the right to clean air, and our Air Quality program staff will ensure cooperation and compliance from all sources, for the health and wellbeing of everyone in the Mon Valley.”Letters of approval and enforcement orders rejecting plans can be found here. The Mon Valley Episode Rule, an addition to Article XXI – Air Pollution Control Regulations, was signed into law in September 2021 by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald to develop and implement a system to respond to weather-related inversions in the Mon Valley, which can result in episodes of high levels of particulate matter pollution (PM2.5).Under the rule, Air Quality staff monitors pollution forecasts for conditions that could lead to an episode. When conditions are likely to exceed acceptable levels for the Mon Valley, sources are required to follow approved mitigation plans to reduce their emissions. Under the direction of the Health Department Director, an Air Pollution Watch is issued when weather conditions are forecast to cause a high concentration of particulates in the Mon Valley, and an Air Pollution Warning is issued when the exceedance occurs and is expected to continue for 24 hours.The rule applies to sources within or near the following municipalities: Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Clairton, Dravosburg, Duquesne, East McKeesport, East Pittsburgh, Elizabeth Borough, Elizabeth Township, Forest Hills, Forward, Glassport, Jefferson Hills, Liberty, Lincoln, McKeesport, Munhall, North Braddock, North Versailles, Port Vue, Rankin, Swissvale, Turtle Creek, Versailles, Wall, West Elizabeth, West Mifflin, White Oak, Wilkins, Wilmerding and Whitaker.Notifications and alerts will be sent out using Allegheny Alerts. To sign up, go here. Notifications can be sent to you via email, text, and/or phone call. A free subscription is required. GASP reiterates its concern expressed Wednesday (and as the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rules were being crafted): Transparency. While GASP appreciates that ACHD appears to be carefully reviewing the mitigation plans and pushing for greater emissions reductions that better protect ambient air quality and public health, we remain disappointed by the lack of transparency. “These mitigation plans are a necessary tool for protecting the public’s health, we don’t see any reason why the health department cannot and should not make these mitigation plans available for public review,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “We encourage the health department to post these plans on its website for transparency’s – and accountability’s – sake.” #USSteel #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #AlleghenyAlerts #ACHD #mitigationplans #MonValleyAirPollutionEpisodeRule #airquality

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced Friday that funding for more than $2.7 million in Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants (AFIGs) had been awarded to 18 cleaner fuel transportation projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants – and many of the recipients are right here in southwestern Pennsylvania. “These projects will help every single Pennsylvanian breathe cleaner air at school, in their communities, and at their workplaces,” DEP Executive Deputy Secretary Ramez Ziadeh said in a release. “The impact of these grants is not limited to a specific city block or bound by a municipal property line.” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell agreed. “This funding announcement is amazing news,” he said. “We know how dangerous diesel emissions are to human and environmental health. GASP is glad to see that a nearby municipality and some local and regional operators will be the beneficiaries of this funding – and we’re thrilled to know that the majority of funds were allocated to projects either in or serving environmental justice areas.” In fact, more than two-thirds of this year’s funding will benefit environmental justice communities. For those who may be unfamiliar with the term, “environmental justice communities” are defined by DEP as any census tract where 20 percent or more of residents live at or below the federal poverty line, and/or 30 percent or more of the population identifies as a non-white minority. Low income and minorities are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of pollution and focusing resources in these areas is an essential step in mitigating these disproportionate effects. A little background: The AFIG Program funds projects that replace older gasoline- or diesel-fueled vehicles with cleaner fuel vehicles that helps reduce emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide, a principal greenhouse gas. The program supports things like electric, ethanol, biodiesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), propane gas, and other cleaner fuel vehicles. It also supports the installation of fueling stations for these vehicles. Why is the transition to cleaner fuels important? Consider this: Transportation generates 47 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions in Pennsylvania, contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone. Vehicles alone release 21 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the state, a known greenhouse gas and direct contributor to climate change. This affects the health of children; older people; people with lung diseases, such as asthma and emphysema; and those who work or are active outdoors. The state Department of Health has found that asthma-related emergency room visits increase when air quality is very poor. But back to those grants: They are awarded for projects in three categories: Vehicle Retrofit and/or Purchasing Refueling Infrastructure and Innovative Technology The 2021 AFIG funded projects will: put 87 cleaner fuel school buses, package delivery trucks, and other vehicles in use, save an estimated 262,798 gasoline equivalents (GGE) from the atmosphere, have the potential to displace the equivalent of an additional 220,000 gallons of gasoline (GGE), collectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 600 metric tons per year Local governments, schools, businesses, and organizations may apply for AFIG funding. DEP administers the AFIG Program under the Pennsylvania Alternative Fuels Incentive Act of 2004, originally established under Act 166 of 1992. Regional awardees include: East Washington Borough: $7,500 in AFIG funding for the purchase of one (1) Tesla Model 3 EV for the Borough’s police force. Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions saved per year: 789 EVgo Services LLC: $197,042 in AFIG funds for the installation of a 4-unit DC Fast Charger with full public access in Homestead, PA. Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions saved per year: 18,214 EVgo Services LLC: $156,000 in AFIG funds for the installation of a 4-unit DC Fast Charger with full public access in Pleasant Hills, PA. Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions saved per year: 18,214 Iron Mountain Information Management Services, Inc: $90,000 in AFIG funding for the purchase of 12 electric vans for fleets in Allegheny, Beaver, Chester, Delaware, Erie. Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions saved per year: 13,500 Iron Mountain Information Management Services Inc: $42,000 in AFIG funding for the installation of Level 2 chargers at 5 locations in Erie, Allegheny, Beaver, Chester, and Delaware counties. Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions saved per year: 1,100 Nuvve of Pennsylvania: $300,000 in AFIG funding for the purchase of ten (10) electric school buses to be used in Washington, Mercer, and Allegheny counties. Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions saved per year: 18,462 Thompson Gas LLC: $159,000 in AFIG funding to install two propane autogas refueling infrastructures to fuel LKQ’s retrofitted fleet vehicles at their respective branch locations in York and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions saved per year: 128,304 #airpollution #GovTomWolf #alternativefuels #diesel #GGE #dieselemissions #greenhousegasemissions #airquality

This was one of the complaints filed with CMU’s SmellPGh app Wednesday. Wednesday marked the third time so far this year that concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (or H2S, an air pollutant known by its rotten-egg odor) exceeded Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average standard at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. For those trying to keep track: H2S concentrations at the Liberty monitor exceeded the Pennsylvania 24-hour average standard 54 times last year – which was more than twice 2020’s numbers. But that’s not all: There were 18 other such exceedances at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in North Braddock Borough last year. “Despite the regularity with which these exceedances occur and our regular calls to action asking ACHD to better communicate the issue with residents – Chief Operating Officer Patrick Dowd and health department leadership have refused to acknowledge the issue publicly,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell lamented. “We don’t know why ACHD has refused to be more transparent on this issue but do know that their silence is speaking volumes to residents.” Here’s what we *do* know: That ACHD issued an H2S-related enforcement action against U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works in April (as well as an associated press release), but no other details have since been provided to the public. So for the third of what may be many times this year, GASP is again asking Mr. Dowd and his leadership team at the health department to take seriously these H2S exceedances and better communicate with the people ACHD is duty-bound to protect – and to take swift action to ensure ACHD develops a communications strategy that better informs residents about H2S exceedances as well as short-term bouts of unhealthy air that threaten public health but do not meet the criteria for a Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode alert. “This is not only a quality of life issue,” Campbell said. “Exposure to hydrogen sulfide can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, or throat, as well as breathing problems, headaches, and fatigue. Helping residents mitigate exposure should be a no-brainer.” Editor’s Note: GASP testified before the Allegheny County Board of Health earlier this month to request more robust communications around air quality issues. You can read all about that here. #H2S #enforcementorder #hydrogensulfide #USSteel #alleghenycountyairquality #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks #airquality

Today we bring you the latest chapter in the saga of Pennsylvania’s journey to bring the Keystone State into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI ). We last told you about this increasingly bizarre story in early November. But in recent weeks there have been several interesting developments and we wanted to bring you up to speed on them. So quick history lesson before we get to the new stuff: In early December, news outlets reported that the state Attorney General’s Office approved the “form and legality” of the regulations that will implement RGGI. It should be noted that the approval occurred despite Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s earlier expressed reservations regarding RGGI. “Ordinarily, approval by the Attorney General’s Office is the next-to-last step to occur before a regulation becomes effective – the final publication of the regulations in the Pennsylvania Bulletin is the last step,” GASP senior staff attorney John Baillie explained. “Yet, despite the Attorney General’s Office’s reported approval of the RGGI regulations, the regulations have yet to be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.” The delay in publication might be due to a Dec. 5 vote to disapprove the regulations by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, which followed the *approval* of the regulations by the Attorney General’s Office. And like so much of this saga: Such a vote was itself unusual. Why? We’ll let John explain: “The law that controls the adoption of new regulations in Pennsylvania – the Commonwealth Documents Law – does give the Pennsylvania House and Senate the power to vote to disapprove new regulations, but provides that the vote is by the relevant House and Senate Committees,” Baillie said. “For RGGI, it’s the standing committees on Energy and the Environment, which must vote within a specified time after the regulations are finalized by the relevant administrative department – here, the Environmental Quality Board.” He continued: In this case, the committee vote should have been held on or before Oct. 2, 2021. Regardless of the House vote’s legality, however, the disapproval was not by a large enough margin to withstand a veto by Gov. Tom Wolf. So what happens now? Presumably, Wolf will veto the House’s disapproval of the RGGI regulations and the regulations will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. After that? The action will likely move to the courts. “We expect extensive legal challenges to the regulations in court, which could further delay their implementation by months or even years,” Baillie explained. “Opponents of RGGI claim that the regulations impose a tax, which only the General Assembly – not the EQB or the governor – has the constitutional power to levy, and that the Environmental Quality Board lacks the statutory authority to adopt the regulation under Pennsylvania’s Air Pollution Control Act.” We will continue to follow this story and keep you posted as new developments occur. #RegionalGreenhouseGasInitiative #RGGI

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Jan. 6 to correct an error regarding the volume of air pollutants emitted during the five-hour period. Perennial air polluter U.S. Steel was issued another civil penalty recently for violating the terms of its operating permit by allowing hundreds of pounds of air pollutants to be emitted following an equipment breakdown this past summer. A Dec. 15 enforcement order posted to Allegheny County Health Department’s website Wednesday shows that a $5,500 fine was assessed for the Aug. 27 incident that sent these pollutants soaring into the atmosphere: U.S. Steel on Aug. 27 reported to ACHD an obstruction in a standpipe of C Battery Oven C21, which caused the release of emissions from the charging hole for more than five hours. The NOV read: “Based on U.S. Steel’s reporting of excess emissions resulting from the breakdown, ACHD has determined that U.S. Steel is in violation of Condition V.A.1.a of IP-011b, which states, “The permittee shall not operate C Battery coke ovens unless the PROven® System is installed and operating in such manner that the collector main is maintained at a negative pressure and each individual oven is maintained at the lowest positive pressure necessary to inhibit leaks of raw coke oven gas to the atmosphere from oven doors, charging port lids, and offtakes.” A quick word about that civil penalty: $2,500 of it was assessed because of U.S. Steel’s history of air quality violations. The order indicated that nine notices of violation have been issued over the past two years. For those who are saying to themselves out loud right now, “Wait, wait, wait, only $5,500?” we want you to know: We’re right there with you. ACHD on Dec. 15 also took enforcement action against: Neville Island-based INEOS for failure to use EPA-approved testing methods. This is the third time that the company has appeared on the enforcement docket this year for air quality infractions. West Mifflin-based Liberty Pultrusions for its late submission of its Title V operating permit renewal. Verona-based CSI Construction, for asbestos-abatement violations at multiple locations for which ACHD assessed a $22,785 civil penalty. #airqualityexceedances #PM25 #H2S #hydrogensulfide #USSteel #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #cokeovenemissions #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 1-:17 a.m. Dec. 17 to include information and updated chart to reflect an H2S exceedance that took place Thursday. Horrific air quality returned to the Mon Valley this week, with the AirNow.gov showing AQI NowCast values at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty borough soared to 164, on Tuesday which is considered unhealthy. How bad has it been? Fine particulate matter (otherwise known as PM2.5) averaged 82.6 ug/m3 over the first 12 hours of the day Tuesday. The federal health-based 24-hour average standard is 35 ug/m3, and ACHD on Tuesday morning issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning alerting residents that there’s been a PM2.5 exceedance at the Liberty monitor. You can learn more about Mon Valley Air Pollution Warnings here. During periods of unhealthy air quality, the EPA suggests that people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and teens should avoid strenuous outdoor activities, keep outdoor activities short, and consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them to reduce exposure to air pollutants. But that wasn’t the only air quality issue on our radar: Allegheny County also reached a grim benchmark this week – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday marked the 50th, 51st, and 52nd days this year that concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (AKA H2S AKA that gross rotten egg odor) exceeded Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average at the air quality monitor in Liberty borough. It’s worth noting that H2S values were so high Tuesday morning, that an exceedance was guaranteed by 5 a.m. The ongoing issue remains a concern at GASP. “That more than doubles the 2020 tally at the Liberty monitor with 17 others at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in North Braddock,” our Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “GASP has been following the data closely and can tell you that residents in the Mon Valley have told us the issue is taking a real toll on their physical and mental wellness.” Residents also took to Twitter to express their frustration and anger: When I went outside this morning I could immediately tell that something was wrong. If you live in Allegheny County, please stay inside today as much as possible. https://t.co/gIrbiq2Nu2 — Katrina Eames (@katrinaeames) December 14, 2021 While ACHD issued an H2S-related enforcement order against U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works in April, officials haven’t said word one since. “At this point, it’s inexcusable that our public health officials have refused to offer more information about what’s causing these elevated levels of H2S in the Mon Valley, what they are doing to remedy the issue, and how they are holding U.S. Steel accountable for the part it plays in this mess,” Campbell said. “Residents deserve better than the silent treatment when it comes to matters of public health.” #H2S #airpollution #H2Sexceedance #hydrogensulfide #AlleghenyCounty #MonValley #alleghenycountyairquality #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #EPA #airquality

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week announced a $1.4 million grant to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MARAMA) for projects that reduce diesel emissions from the nation’s fleet of older, dirtier engines and vehicles. MARAMA will use the funds to replace 40 aging drayage trucks with newer cleaner vehicles. By way of background: MARAMA is a voluntary, non-profit association of 10 state and local air pollution control agencies. Its mission is to strengthen the skills and capabilities of member agencies and to help them work together to prevent and reduce air pollution in the Mid-Atlantic Region. MARAMA provides cost-effective approaches to regional collaboration by pooling resources to develop and analyze data, share ideas, and train staff to implement common requirements. EPA awarded $53 million through the 2021 Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) National Grant program, and an additional $24 million was awarded to states through the State DERA Grant program, for a total of $77 million to reduce diesel pollution in local communities. “Cleaner trucks, buses, boats, and heavy equipment keep local economies thriving while better protecting the health of the people living and working near ports, schools, and along delivery routes,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “The projects will reduce diesel pollution and benefit local communities, many of which are facing environmental justice issues.” Fifty-five national DERA grants were awarded covering a wide range of projects to reduce diesel emissions including upgrades to school buses, port equipment, and construction equipment. Nineteen of these awards will support replacing older diesel equipment with zero-emission technologies such as transport refrigeration units, terminal tractors, drayage trucks, refuse trucks, a locomotive, and a port ship-to-shore gantry crane. In selecting projects for awards, priority was given to projects that: are in areas designated as having poor air quality. reduce emissions from ports and other goods movement facilities. benefit local communities. incorporate local communities in project planning. demonstrate an ability to continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended. EPA also awarded $24 million under EPA’s 2021 DERA State Grants program to 49 states and three territories to implement their own diesel emissions reduction programs locally. This program allows states to target funds towards the diesel emissions reduction projects that best align with local priorities. Since the start of the DERA program in 2008, EPA has awarded over $1 billion in grants and rebates to modernize the nation’s diesel fleet and speed the turnover to cleaner on- and off-road heavy-duty trucks and equipment. In addition to DERA, following the passage of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA will be making significant investments in the health, equity, and resilience of American communities. EPA will offer a total of $5 billion between fiscal years 2022 and 2026 to fund the replacement of dirtier school buses with low- or no-carbon school buses. Each year, $500 million will be available exclusively for electric school buses and $500 million will be available for electric buses and multiple types of cleaner alternative fuel school buses. In line with the President’s commitment to Justice40, EPA is actively working to ensure DERA funding, including Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, maximizes the benefits that are directed to underserved communities. For more information on DERA national grants:  https://www.epa.gov/dera/national-dera-awarded-grants More information on DERA state grants:  https://www.epa.gov/dera/state-allocations For information on the Clean School Bus Plan under the BIL: https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/clean-school-bus-plan #airpollution #MARAMA #zeroemissiontechnology #EPA #dieselemissions #airquality