Every spring, we investigate whether applications for Title V Operating Permits – which are required by the Clean Air Act for the biggest polluters - are being issued promptly by the government regulators like the Allegheny County Health Department and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and report on what we find.
This year’s report is currently in the works, but there has been a development with a long-delayed permit renewal application that we wanted to let you know about right away.
In the April 13, edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin, DEP published notice that it intends to renew the Title V Operating Permit for the Arden Landfill, located in Chartiers Township, Washington County.
“This grabbed our attention because the initial Title V Operating Permit for the Arden Landfill expired on May 7, 2006, and has never been renewed,” GASP senior attorney John Baillie said.
The landfill has continued to operate under the terms of the expired permit (yes, this is authorized by the Clean Air Act and Pennsylvania’s air quality regulations) and several plan approvals that authorized changes to its operations since.
“The renewed Title V Operating Permit will at long last consolidate all applicable requirements from those plan approvals and federal and state law into one document, which should make it easier to DEP to enforce those requirements and for interested citizens to check on the landfill’s compliance with them,” Baillie explained.
Our review of the Arden Landfill’s draft Title V Operating Permit is ongoing, but you can see DEP’s draft permit and review memorandum here and here.
Editor’s Note: If you have comments regarding the draft permit, DEP will accept them by U.S. Mail through Monday, May 13, addressed to:
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Southwest Regional Office
400 Waterfront Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Attn: Noor Nahar, Air Quality Engineer