Serious questions: When’s the last time you woke up in the wee hours of the morning choked by an industrial odor seeping in through your windows – one so strong you had to reach for a rescue inhaler? Have you ever walked out your front door on a gorgeous day to take a jog only to be forced to make a U-turn when confronted by the overwhelming stench of rotten eggs? Have you ever seen a plume of murky black smoke billowing from a company in your neighborhood and wondered if the air was safe enough for you to send your kids outside to play? We’re asking today to make a point: News reports often talk about how the air pollution burden we face in Allegheny County is not evenly shared. We use words like “disproportionate impacts” and “frontline communities,” which makes it easy to forget what we’re really talking about: Our friends and neighbors in the Mon Valley (and downwind of it) who have their daily lives disrupted on the regular by abysmal air quality. At GASP we believe that a person’s ability to breathe clean air shouldn’t be determined by their zip code, and we’re fighting hard to ensure our friends and neighbors will no longer be forced to ask themselves those kinds of tough questions. This brings us to why we’re talking to you today: Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, that beautiful day every year when the focus moves from Black Friday shopping to community empowerment – a day when like-minded folks band together, cracking open their checkbooks and brandishing their credit cards to help support the causes for which they are most passionate. We’re reasonably positive that by this point, you’ve likely been the recipient of about 147 emails from (very worthy) nonprofits asking for your support. We know a lot of the bigger, statewide (and even nationwide) nonprofits will try to woo folks with PR and paid social media campaigns. Here at GASP, we don’t have the budget for all that. This underdog organization has played an outsized watchdog role that’s helped lead to real progress in Allegheny County. With the help of supporters like you, we helped usher in a new air quality permit fee schedule that is expected to help better fund Allegheny County Health Department’s Air Quality Program. With the help of supporters like you, we saw the passage of new rules to address Mon Valley air pollution episodes and the drafting of updated coke oven regulations. We’re hoping that tomorrow, you’ll think of your friendly neighborhood air quality watchdogs when you crack open your checkbook or brandish your credit card. As a small nonprofit with a limited budget, we depend on the kindness of those who are equally enraged by our continually subpar air quality to help us continue the battle. So, if you think people shouldn’t have to reach for their inhalers in the middle of the night…If you think that athletes shouldn’t have to choose between protecting their respiratory health and taking part in outdoor physical activities…If you think parents shouldn’t have to worry that their kids will be sickened simply by breathing the air outside during recess, make a Giving Tuesday donation to GASP to help fight alongside us on behalf of our friends and neighbors who most need help. The beautiful thing is, you don’t even have to wait until tomorrow to help us make a difference. You can make a donation or become a member right now. Until tomorrow, The GASP Gang #MonValleyAirPollution #GivingTuesday #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #makeadonation #airquality

More people are calling on Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald to fill a key vacancy on the Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee created by the exit of GASP’s former executive director, as two county council members asking for him to take action. County Council President Pat Catena and Councilperson Anita Prizio recently sent Fitzgerald a letter asking that he nominate GASP senior staff attorney John Baillie to the committee, a request we first made in mid-September. You can view that letter here, which reads: Dear Executive Fitzgerald:We are writing today to endorse John Baillie, attorney with Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) for a vacant position on the Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee.As you know, Rachel Filippini, former Executive Director of GASP, served on the Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee up until her retirement from GASP. John Baillie served as her alternate on this board and would be a logical replacement for Rachel. While we understand that GASP does not receive an automatic nomination to the Committee, their work speaks volumes in advocating for better air quality in our region.You no doubt will be receiving numerous requests from individuals who wish to serve our county in a role on this committee among others, however, we hope that you will carefully review what John Baillie brings to this Committee before making a nomination.Thank you in advance for your attention to this request. GASP has been clear: We want to retain our seat at this decision-making table but despite writing and calling, Fitzgerald has yet to in any way acknowledge our request. GASP also personally reached out to Air Pollution Advisory Committee Chairperson Dan Bricmont, who did not respond to the correspondence. GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell also made appeals to members of county council’s appointment review committee chaired by Councilperson Bethany Hallam asking for their assistance in moving the nomination process along, telling them that nearly 120 residents have sent messages to the county executive imploring him to nominate Baillie. “It’s truly disappointing that Mr. Fitzgerald is completely ignoring residents when it comes to anything air quality related,” Campbell said. “But his disregard for a highly qualified professional who wants to volunteer his time for the betterment of the county and its air quality is downright offensive.” GASP is hopeful that a flood of messages from residents to Fitzgerald and Bricmont asking them to do all they can to help move Baillie’s nomination along will spur action. If you have a moment, please fill out the form below, which will be routed straight to their inboxes. #PatCatena #AnitaPrizio #DanBricmont #BethanyHallam #AirPollutionAdvisoryCommittee #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 4:12 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5 to include information about tomorrow’s Mon Valley Air Pollution Watch. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for fine particulate matter for Saturday, Nov. 6. In addition, the Allegheny County Health Department issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Watch. For those who might not be aware: The Liberty-Clairton Area of Allegheny County includes Clairton City, Glassport Borough, Liberty Borough, Lincoln Borough, and Port Vue Borough. Here’s what the DEP press release said: A strong temperature inversion and calm wind Saturday morning will likely contribute to a daily average concentration of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range. The highest hourly average concentrations of fine particulate matter are most likely to occur Saturday between 3:00 AM and 10:00 AM. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher. On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities. Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day area are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by: Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use; Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials; and Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment. Here’s what the Allegheny Alert related to the Mon Valley Air Pollution Watch said: An Air Pollution Watch has been issued for the Mon Valley. The forecast for the next 24-hours indicates that the PM2.5 levels will likely exceed the 24-hour standard for the Mon Valley.Young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities during this time.Companies contributing to pollution can contribute by temporarily reducing activities that produce emissions.More information about fine particulate matter (PM2.5), as well as the current monitored values can be found at: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Health-Department/Programs/Air-Quality/Air-Quality.aspx The Mon Valley was also plagued by unhealthy air Friday, with AirNow.gov listing the Liberty-Clairton area as having the worst NowCast Air Quality Index (AQI). The area also experienced another exceedance of the 24-hour state H2S standard. You can read more about that here. #airquality #CodeOrangeAirQualityActionDay #DEP #DepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection

Allegheny County Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to reappoint several members of the Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee whose terms had expired, although a key vacancy there remains both unacknowledged and unfilled: The one created by GASP’s outgoing leader Rachel Filippini. GASP has been clear: We want to retain our seat at this particular decision-making table and reached out to Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald in September to respectfully request that our senior staff attorney John Baillie be nominated to replace Filippini on the committee. Despite writing and calling, Fitzgerald has yet to in any way acknowledge our request, which we find unfortunate. “At this point, he’s not only ignoring GASP, he’s ignoring the other 113 local residents who sent him emails asking that he consider John Baillie to fill the vacancy,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. To reiterate our request and update Council on steps GASP has taken to remain a part of the committee, we submitted the following public comments Tuesday: Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. My name is Patrick Campbell and I am the new executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), an environmental watchdog organization that’s been advocating for improved air quality for more than 50 years.As we told you earlier this month, our outgoing leader Rachel Filippini was a member of the Allegheny County Air Advisory Committee and the chair of the Pollution Prevention and Education Subcommittee prior to her exit last month. At your last meeting, I let Council know that GASP is very interested in retaining a seat on the Air Advisory Committee, and that we both wrote and called Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald to respectfully ask that he nominate GASP’s staff attorney John Baillie to serve in that role. As Ms. Filippini’s former alternate on the Air Advisory Committee and a member of ACHD’s regulation subcommittee, we believe he would be an outstanding replacement. Unfortunately, Mr. Fitzgerald has not yet acknowledged our request in any way. To help punctuate our request, GASP recently asked local residents to join us in asking for Mr. Baillie to be nominated. We think it’s important to note that more than 100 people did just that, sending emails to Mr. Fitzgerald asking that the appointment be made as soon as possible.GASP also sent correspondence to Air Advisory Committee Chair Dan Bricmont, asking him to reach out to Mr. Fitzgerald in his formal capacity to request the vacancy created by Ms. Filippini be filled by Mr. Bailllie.Since Allegheny County Council is poised to approve the reappointment of many committee members tonight, we wanted to update you on our work to remain on the Air Advisory Committee.We know that Council does not have the power to make nominations to county boards but the Home Rule Charter does charge Council will helping to “provide better access to County government.” With that in mind, we are asking members of the appointment committee to consider inquiring about the status of Mr. Baillie’s nomination.If you have any questions related to Mr. Baillie’s qualifications, please contact me at patrick@gasp-pgh.org.Sincerely,Patrick Campbell We’ll keep you posted on when – or whether – we hear back from Fitzgerald, Bricmont, or members of the appointment review committee. If you’d like to let the county executive know that you support John Baillie’s nomination to the Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee, it’s not too late. We’ve got an automated form complete with sample language here. It’s our hope that together, we can ensure GASP has a seat at the table along with these recently reappointed committee members: Chip Babst Sara Marie Baldi Dan Bricmont Jeanne K. Clark Michael Corcoran Steve Hvozdovich Mark Jeffrey Bob Orchowski John Palmiere Their terms expire Dec. 31, 2023. Editor’s Note: You can read more about what the Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee does here and here. #AlleghenyCountyChiefExecutiveRichFitzgerald #AirPollutionControlAdvisoryCommittee #AlleghenyCountyCouncil #AlleghenyCounty #alleghenycountyairquality #RichFitzgerald #airquality

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 11:05 a.m. on 10/20 to include information on today’s H2S exceedances and again at 11:35 a.m. 10/21 with an updated data chart. Sorry, Mon Valley friends, but you won’t get a reprieve today from the tell-tale rotten egg stench associated with hydrogen sulfide: Concentrations of the stinky air pollutant have been so high at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitors in Liberty and Braddock boroughs that exceedances of the state standard are already guaranteed. Concentrations of hydrogen sulfide also exceeded Pennsylvania’s air quality standard at both the Liberty and Braddock monitors yesterday. That means that there has been 14 such exceedance at the Braddock air quality monitor so far this year and 39 at Liberty. GASP is again imploring the health department to keep residents in the know about these ongoing exceedances, what’s causing them, and what is being done to address them. “These H2S exceedances happen far too often for the health department to continue to stay mum on the matter,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. #Libertyairqualitymonitor #H2S #hydrogensulfide #hydrogensulfideexceedance #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #airquality

In fact, concentrations of H2S were so high Tuesday that by 8 a.m. it was mathematically impossible for them *not* to exceed Pennsylvania’s air quality standard at the Braddock monitor. It marks the 13th such exceedance at the Braddock air quality monitor so far this year. But those aren’t the only H2S exceedances of concern locally: There have also been 37 days so far in 2021 at the nearby air quality monitor in Liberty Borough where hydrogen sulfide levels exceeded the state standard. For the uninitiated: Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas recognizable by its distinct rotten-egg odor – a stench local residents know all too well. GASP has said it before, and we’ll say it again now: Residents deserve an update from the Allegheny County Health Department addressing these ongoing exceedances, what’s causing them, and what is being done to address them. “The hydrogen sulfide issue harms residents’ quality of life – we hear from people all the time lamenting about having to avoid outdoor exercise or close their windows on otherwise beautiful days,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “And that’s not how people should have to live, especially in a place that has been touted as one of America’s most livable cities.” #H2S #BraddockMonitor #H2Sexceedance #hydrogensulfide #LibertyMonitor #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #airquality

GASP on Tuesday submitted public comments to Allegheny County Council to make sure members were aware of our recent request to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald asking him to nominate John Baillie to fill a vacancy on the Air Advisory Committee created by the resignation of our former executive director Rachel Filippini. Baillie is GASP’s longtime senior staff attorney, a person well-versed in air quality issues – from the regulations to the permits to the data. GASP first reached out to Fitzgerald requesting the appointment a month ago. To date, neither Fitzgerald nor anyone from his office has either acknowledged or responded to the request. Here’s what our new Executive Director Patrick Campbell wrote: Dear Allegheny County Council:Good evening. My name is Patrick Campbell and I am the new executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), an environmental watchdog organization that’s been advocating for improved air quality for more than 50 years.Our outgoing leader Rachel Filippini was a member of the Allegheny County Air Advisory Committee and the chairperson of the Pollution Prevention and Education Subcommittee prior to her resignation in September. Allegheny County Executive, Rich Fitzgerald, has the opportunity to appoint her replacement, and we are respectfully requesting that GASP senior staff attorney John Baillie be nominated for this role. John previously served as Ms. Filippini’s alternate on the Air Advisory Committee and he is currently a sitting member of ACHD’s regulation subcommittee.John has a deep understanding of air quality issues, from the regulations to the data to the process by which decisions are made, making him extremely qualified for the position.We are requesting that County Executive Fitzgerald nominate him as a member of the Air Advisory Committee as soon as possible.Air quality remains one of the most serious public health issues in Allegheny County. It’s important to ensure that the Air Advisory Committee is populated by knowledgeable, experienced professionals. If you have any questions related to Mr. Baillie’s qualifications, please contact me at patrick@gasp-pgh.org. GASP has also forwarded our request to Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, who heads up the appointment review committee. That committee reviews nominations and makes a recommendation to the board, which votes to approve or deny them. “Air quality is too important, and impacts far too many for the county not to move quickly to appoint a replacement for Ms. Filippini that ensures the air advisory committee is as effective as possible,” Campbell said. “We believe that John Baillie would be a perfect addition to the committee and hope that his appointment will be expeditious.” And now we’re asking for your help to make sure that happens by letting Fitzgerald that you support the nomination of GASP’s John Baillie. To make that as quick and easy as possible, we’ve created sample language and a form that will route your comments directly to the chief executive’s office: Tell Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald: Appoint GASP's John Baillie to the Air Advisory Committee Join us in asking Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald to appoint GASP's John Baillie to the Air Advisory Committee Name* First Last Email* Address* Street Address Address Line 2 City AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces Pacific State ZIP Code Air quality is one of Allegheny County’s most pressing public health issues. Because of this, we are asking you to nominate GASP’s senior staff attorney John Baillie to the Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee to replace longtime member Rachel Filippini. Mr. Baillie has worked extensively on air quality issues both in Allegheny County and beyond, and has been a sitting member of the Regulation Subcommittee, making him an ideal choice. Please take action on this appointment as soon as possible. Thank you for your consideration.* Δ #airpollution #AlleghenyCountyAirAdvisoryCommittee #BethanyHallam #JohnBaillie #AlleghenyCounty #alleghenycountyairquality #ChipBabst #RichFitzgerald #airquality

The two rebate opportunities total approximately $17 million in combined funding for schools and bus fleet owners to replace older, highly polluting diesel school buses. Replacing these buses will improve air quality in and around schools and communities, reduce greenhouse gas pollution, and better protect children’s health overall. Since 2012, EPA’s school bus rebates have awarded, or are in the process of awarding, over $55 million to replace more than 2,700 old diesel school buses. “All children, regardless of their zip code, have a right to learn and play in a healthy environment,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a press release. “These funding opportunities to replace highly polluting diesel buses will result in healthier air for many of the 25 million American children who rely on school buses to transport them to and from school each day.” 2021 American Rescue Plan Electric School Bus Rebates The first rebate opportunity is the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates. This new $7 million pilot program will provide funds to replace old diesel school buses with new, zero-emission electric school buses. The funds are reserved exclusively for school districts in underserved communities, tribal schools, and private fleets serving those schools. This program offers $300,000 per bus for up to four electric school bus replacements and associated charging infrastructure. The list of eligible applicants is available on the 2021 ARP Electric School Bus Rebates website. 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) School Bus Rebates The second rebate opportunity is EPA’s latest round of funding for long-standing DERA School Bus Rebates. This year’s program offers approximately $10 million to fund the replacement of old diesel school buses with new electric, diesel, gasoline, propane, or compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses meeting current emission standards. All public school districts and private bus fleets serving those schools are eligible to apply. Available rebates are between $20,000 – $65,000 per bus depending on the type of fuel used in the replacement bus. Applicants can request rebates for up to 10 buses with a maximum rebate amount of $300,000 per application. Both rebate programs will select awardees through a lottery system. Awardees are required to scrap the old diesel buses being replaced to ensure those buses will not continue to pollute. The programs will run concurrently but require separate application forms. “We know from numerous studies that bus emissions are particularly harmful to children because their lungs are not fully mature and are more sensitive to pollution,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “This is a tremendous funding opportunity that we hope local school districts and private bus fleet operators will pursue.” EPA is accepting applications for both programs until 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5. Questions about applying may be directed to DERA@epa.gov. To learn more about the rebate programs, applicant eligibility, selection process, and informational webinar dates, visit https://www.epa.gov/dera/rebates #2021DieselEmissionsReductionAct #dirtydiesel #Schoolbusrebates #EPA #dieselemissions #electricschoolbuses

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Tuesday issued an enforcement order to Neville Chemical Company for violating numerous provisions of its Title V air quality permit during an overnight incident in early September – fining the company $62,075. According to a news release distributed by ACHD: In the early morning hours of September 2, first responders, including Allegheny County Emergency Services and Ohio Township Police, responded to the Neville Chemical Company following reports of a strong odor. The Health Department also sent enforcement inspectors to investigate the source of the odor.All breakdowns at a permitted facility must be reported to the Health Department within one hour. In this case, the Health Department received the initial breakdown report 33 hours after the incident. Neville Chemical Company reported that one of the bottom valves leaked on a heat polymerization still, allowing raw material to enter a resin kettle and release a hydrocarbon mixture into the air.Per the enforcement order, Neville Chemical Company must submit a corrective action plan to ensure that foreign volatile material does not enter their resin kettles in the future. They have 60 days from the date of the order to submit their plan. The company was also assessed a civil penalty of $62,075.00.Payment of the fine will go to the Allegheny County Clean Air Fund. The penalty is based on the following violations: Exceeding the short-term emissions limit allowed by the Title V permit for Volatile Organic Compounds, Exceeding the short- and long-term emissions limits allowed by the Title V permit for Hazardous Air Pollutants, Work practices standards violations, Failure to submit a breakdown report on time, and Failure to determine valve failure in a timely manner. GASP lauded ACHD for taking this action. “This is the type of swift response residents should come to expect from the Allegheny County Health Department,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “We thank ACHD for holding the company accountable.” But having decisively assessed blame for the incident, one question remains for ACHD: what were the impacts? The Enforcement Order states, “[t]he breakdown resulted in a total of . . . 956 pounds (0.478 tons) of [Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)]” being released over a five-hour period. The Order further states that kettles in Neville Chemical’s No. 2 Packaging Center have a “long-term permit limit of 0.36 tons [of HAPs] per year.” That means this incident caused more hazardous air pollutants to be emitted in five hours from this particular process than normally would be emitted in a full year. “A facility process releasing one year’s worth of hazardous emissions in five hours is a troubling thought, but the significance of such a release is tough to gauge without more details,” GASP Staff Attorney Ned Mulcahy said. He continued: “The entire facility is permitted to emit over 16 tons of HAPs annually and neither the Enforcement Order nor ACHD’s press release listed the specific chemical pollutants emitted. I would like to see ACHD – as the County’s air quality and public health experts – address any potential adverse health impacts to the community that might have resulted from this incident.” Editor’s Note: For those who’d like to take a deeper dive into the issue, you can check out Neville Chemical’s Title V operating permit here: http://bit.ly/NevChemTVOP You can read the technical support document here:  http://bit.ly/NevChemTSD You can check out the Post-Gazette’s reporting on the enforcement action here. #enforcementorder #airpollution #NevilleChemicalCompany #NevilleIsland #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #airquality

Photo courtesy of Google Earth. The Seward Generating station in Indiana County is purportedly the world’s largest waste-coal burning power plant, so when its operator recently applied to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for a “re-evaluation” of its sulfur dioxide emissions, GASP decided to investigate to ensure such a “re-evaluation” does not result in an increase in permitted emissions. After requesting and obtaining files from DEP relating to the application, we were pleased to find that this won’t be the case. In fact, Seward’s operator is requesting that DEP decrease the plant’s annual emission limits for sulfur dioxide from 13,308 tons per year to either 10,739  or 11,904 tons per year (the application documents that DEP provided to us contain both numbers) while still authorizing the plant to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The basis for the operator’s request is that there is less sulfur in the waste coal that the plant burns than originally thought; the plant’s actual annual emissions of sulfur dioxide have never approached the existing annual emission limit, which apparently was established when the plant began operating in 2004. Why might a plant operator ask to reduce emission limits? Here’s one possible explanation: “Title IV of the Clean Air Act establishes a ‘cap and trade’ system for sulfur dioxide emissions from electric generating units in which such units receive, and are able to sell, emissions credits for permitted sulfur dioxide emissions,” GASP senior staff attorney John Baillie explained.  “Presumably, if DEP grants the Seward plant’s application, the plant will generate, and be able to sell, its unused sulfur dioxide emission credits to other power plants.” We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates in this blog as new developments occur. #airpollution #sulfurdioxide #coalfiredpowerplant #JohnBaillie #emissions #SewardGeneratingStation