After so many alerts in late fall about poor air quality due to a weather-related inversion trapping pollution over the Pittsburgh area, an announcement last week by Allegheny County about air quality improvements may have come as a surprise. So, one week after the county reported that all eight air quality monitors met federal air quality standards for the first time, PublicSource is providing a breakdown of the news for further understanding of what the announcement really means.
The brief
The Allegheny County Department of Health [ACHD], on Jan. 26, announced that preliminary data from the monitors show that the county is in compliance with the air quality standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone and particulate matter (PM 2.5, PM 10).
While the data show that various regulations and efforts being taken by county officials are starting to improve the air quality, environmental advocacy groups and Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen agree there is still a lot more work to do before neighborhoods are able to breathe clean air year round.
If the EPA confirms that the county monitors have met its air quality standards, it would change the county health department’s authority to enact new legislation to reduce emissions, according to Jim Kelly, the health department’s deputy director. It would not alter the department’s enforcement abilities, and ACHD will continue to be the lead agency in charge of monitoring and protecting the county’s air quality.
Rachel Filippini, the executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution [GASP], said that once the county’s attainment has been confirmed, ACHD will no longer be required to develop and submit State Implementation Plans [SIP], which include pollution control measures submitted for EPA approval to keep pollution down. Filippini said some extra measures will stay in place for a while to ensure that the county continues to meet air quality standards.
U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource)
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