Air Permits Clearinghouse

The clearinghouse is one of the easiest ways to see the major sources of air pollution in the area. Clicking on a facility brings up the latest permits, which allow you to learn what that facility does, and the types and amounts of pollutants it's allowed to emit. Check out the map below to see the major sources are near you.

Title V of the Clean Air Act requires “Major Sources” of air pollution to obtain operating permits from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state or local agency that EPA has authorized to issue these permits. Major Sources in Allegheny County are permitted by the Allegheny County Health Department; in surrounding counties they are permitted by the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

A Major Source has the potential to emit at least 100 tons per year of any air pollutant, 10 tons per year of any single hazardous air pollutant, or 25 tons per year of any combination of hazardous air pollutants. A Title V Operating Permit is like a snapshot that includes all emissions limits and standards to which a source is subject, as well as all operating, monitoring, and reporting requirements that apply at the time of a permit’s issuance. By including all requirements in one document, these permits help source operators comply with those regulations. They also help regulators and members of the public enforce them–all with the ultimate goal of reducing air pollution.

Synthetic Minor facilities are ones whose potential to emit, without taking limitations and/or restrictions, exceed the Title V applicability threshold. By taking a restriction in hours of operation or an emission limitation, or employing other approved methods, a major facility by definition becomes a minor facility and escapes the Title V Operating Permit program.

Map of Major and Synthetic Minor Facilities in Southwestern PA

Use our map to find the Major and Synthetic Minor facilities, as well as air monitoring sites. The box in the upper right expands the map, and you can use the box in the upper left to turn on or off the different layers of information.

Click here to expand air permits by county:

ACHD’s web site includes a list of Title V Operating Permits under their jurisdiction and the status of each. They also include links to new or renewed permits that are open to public comment. Learn more here.

To check on inspection and violation data, please visit the PA DEP’s eFACTS and the EPA’s ECHO web pages.

If you have questions about a particular facility or its permit, please contact us. Stay tuned to GASP to learn when we are taking an interest in a certain facility or when permits are opened for public comment. In the meantime, take a look at “The Proof Is in the Permit: How to Make Sure a Facility in Your Community Gets an Effective Title V Air Pollution Permit.”

Disclaimer: Other regulations, conditions, etc. might apply to particular sources, especially conditions added after these permits were issued. Contact ACHD or PA DEP to check for other applicable documents not included in this project. Also, ownership of facilities can change much more quickly than permits can account for. We have made the best effort to list the name of the owning company, and in some cases these names are different than what the permits say. Ownership of any facility could also change in the future, as well as a source’s Major or Minor designation. This project was made possible through a grant from the Colcom Foundation.