We just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who came out Sunday to GASP's walk-and-talk at Homewood Cemetery. The fundraising event featured our friend, h istoric urban cemetery with history Jennie Benford, who helped us learn more about the role of the cemetery as a preserved urban green space while we looked out for lichen, a common bioindicator of air quality. It was a beautiful sunny day for the stroll - check it out:

Dear Fellow Breathers, We wanted to give a last call for comments for those who want to weigh in on the Title V permit issued to Brackenridge-based ATI, which has been a major source of air pollution in Allegheny County for DECADES. Allegheny County Health Department is accepting comments on the permit through Oct. 22 and we wanted to make sure you had the info you need to make your voice heard. GASP submitted formal comments that you can read here . For those who would like to join us in calling for the permit to be stronger, we have sample comments below. Feel free to personalize them or use them as-is. Comments must be e-mailed to aqpermits@alleghenycounty.us by the end of the day on Tuesday, Oct. 22. For those who would like to testify in person, a public hearing will be held 6 p.m. at the Harrison Township Municipal Building, 1 Municipal Drive, Natrona Heights, PA 15065, in the conference room. Anyone who would like to speak at the hearing should register online at least 24 hours in advance of the hearing on the Department’s permits webpage at https://alleghenycounty.us/AQnotices Here are those sample comments: The ATI Title V permit must be strengthened to better protect ambient air quality and public health. ACHD must: Modify the permit so is assures compliance with the limits on particulate matter content and opacity of emissions from the HRPF Slab Grinder's stack. Modify the permit so that it assures compliance with the permit's limits on emissions from the active Hot Boxes. Modify the permit so that it assures compliance with limits on the PM content and opacity of emissions from the Revering Roughing Mill. Modify the permit so that it assures compliance with limits on the PM content and opacity of emissions from the 7-Stand Hot Finishing Mill. Modify the permit so it assures compliance with NOX and PM limits on emissions from the Plasma torch cutting operation. Modify the permit so it assures compliance with hourly and annual limits on the NOX emissions from the Plasma Torch Cutting Operation.

Back in April, when we blogged about a suite of rules promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will drastically reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions from fossil fuel-burning power plants. You can read the details   here . This week, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the rule brought by the attorneys general of several states, allowing the rule to stand - at least for the time being.   “It is important to note, however, that the court’s decision appears to have been made on a procedural basis – the court refused to rule on the case on emergency grounds while another, similar challenge to the rule is winding its way through the lower courts,” GASP senior attorney John Baillie explained.   Whether or not the rules survive those challenges (or the arrival of a new Presidential administration) is an open question. One thing’s for sure: We’ll continue to keep you updated on the challenge to these rules as new developments occur.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) this week announced that it has secured $1.62 million from Cyprus Amax Minerals Company (Cyprus) to address legacy pollution in Washington County. The money has been earmarked for environmental projects in Washington County, and DEP is now accepting public input to further develop the project guidelines.   Little background for ya: From 1913 through the late 1940s, American Zinc and Chemical Company owned and operated a 157-acre site in Smith Township that included a zinc smelter, acid plant, and residue mill. The company deep-mined coal onsite to supply the smelter operations and also disposed of various wastes onsite, which resulted in significant contamination of the soil, groundwater, wetlands, and Burgetts Fork, which borders the site and ultimately flows to the Ohio River. An environmental investigation conducted at the site estimated that the total volume of waste exceeded 349,000 cubic yards.    DEP found Cyprus to be a corporate successor responsible for the contamination and release of hazardous substances. Since 2009, DEP’s enforcement actions have led to successive settlements with Cyprus resulting in a phased cleanup of the site. Significant remediation has already been completed, and cleanup of the site is currently entering its final phase. In addition to the $1.62 million, the company will also pay $68,057 to reimburse DEP’s costs to assess and investigate the site. Cleanup of the site is currently entering its final phase.    The money DEP collects will be directed to toward projects that benefit the impacted community near the site. Before making a decision on what projects will be funded, DEP will provide opportunities for the public to give feedback on what types of projects they’d like to see funded – whether that’s investments to clean up or preserve natural resources like streams and woodlands or investments in greenspaces.   A copy of the agreement can be found on DEP’s website . Wanna weigh in? DEP is accepting public comments related to the consent order and agreement through Dec. 11. Written comments may be submitted to: Paul Vogel, Manager, Hazardous Sites Cleanup PA Department of Environmental Protection 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Comments may also be emailed to RA-EPSW-HSCA@pa.gov .

We want to give a shout out and HUGE congrats to GASP’s newest smoke readers!  Edith Abeyta and Ginger Brooks Takahashi of North Braddock Residents for Our Future, Aaron Makutura of Environmental Health Project and GASP’s own Laura Kuster recently attended the two-day training. Not familiar with smoke reading? “Smoke readers” is a general term for volunteers who are trained and certified to recognize and understand visible emissions from sources such as smokestacks, as well as what violations look like, and how to make reports.  “Folks are sometimes surprised to learn this is the same training received by Allegheny County Visible Emissions Inspectors,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell noted.  He said attending the training is an excellent way for residents to take action in their own communities by reading visible emissions at the facilities that are of concern to them. “The unfortunate reality is that local air quality inspectors can’t be everywhere at all times,” he said. “Readings from volunteers who are trained and certified as smoke readers may help increase regulatory scrutiny on air polluters.”

The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) is thrilled to introduce you to our newest staff member - Julie Stouffer, who will serve as our full-time field technician. Julie attended Whittier College in California, where she earned her undergraduate degrees in environmental science and environmental studies.  Stouffer previously worked as a chemistry stockroom technician and research assistant at her college alma mater.  She comes to GASP after having served as a CDC John R. Lewis Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health, where she conducted a research project regarding the impacts of industrial pollution on pediatric asthma. It was - and is - a subject near and dear to Stouffer’s heart. While she grew up around two hours away in Franklin, Pennsylvania, she spent summers at her grandparents’ house in Clairton. “I spent the summer smelling the mill,” she said.  And as she grew up she became increasingly aware of how those odors - how industrial emissions - impacted the health of her grandparents and her community. She is excited to get to work on GASP’s EPA-funded air quality network project alongside community partners like Allegheny County Clean Air Now (ACCAN), Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab, Protect Elizabeth Township, and Valley Clean Air Now. Stouffer will work to install dozens of low-cost air monitors to measure concentrations of pollutants like particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. She will also be instrumental in taking and analyzing air samples during “smell events” reported by the SmellPGH app to determine what pollutants residents were exposed to during these episodes of poor air quality. “People are smelling these smells, but what is actually behind it?” Stouffer said, adding that she looked forward to helping to answer that question. Executive Director Patrick Campbell said Stouffer’s hiring represents another step forward for both GASP and the EPA project, which will help fill air quality monitoring gaps in some of Allegheny County’s most under-served communities. “We have a tremendous group of professionals working on this monitoring project, and Julie was the missing piece,” he said. “We’re so glad to have her on our team.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announces new grant availability for non-profit organizations helping to fight hunger in Pennsylvania. Grants up to $50,000 are available to non-profit organizations who partner with food retailers/wholesalers to recover safe and wholesome foods and then make that food available to the public through the Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant program.   The Food Recovery Infrastructure Grants can be awarded to reimburse the cost of equipment like refrigerators, freezers, refrigerated and non-refrigerated vehicles, stoves, and microwaves to store, transport, or prepare the recovered safe, wholesome foods to ensure that the food can be redistributed to the public. Special consideration will be given to applicants with projects that serve Environmental Justice areas .  In addition to helping feed Pennsylvanians in need, keeping food waste out of landfills also helps fight climate change. Organic waste like food breaks down into methane, a potent greenhouse gas – so every potato, every stalk of broccoli, every apple, every tomato that doesn’t go to a landfill is helping to fight climate change in Pennsylvania. Applications for the Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant will be accepted beginning on Oct.12. Interested applicants must have a pre-application meeting with their local DEP Regional Recycling Coordinator prior to submitting their applications.  Grant applications must be submitted through the Electronic Single Application web site at https://grants.pa.gov/ . Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Feb. 28 to be eligible for funding.

Did you hear? The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced it has secured a $1.96 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop Pennsylvania-specific outreach and education materials to help communities build out clean, renewable energy projects.   The Renewable Energy Siting through Technical Engagement and Planning program (R-STEP) will help communities plan renewable energy projects that can lower utility costs and fight climate change. The R-STEP program aims to increase renewable energy development with more community buy-in and science-based siting for proposed projects. As the grant recipient, DEP along with a project team from the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS), Penn State Extension Energy Team, and Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy will develop materials that help guide local governments — covering topics like state and federal permitting, community engagement, and local zoning. Since 2021, DEP has collaborated with the Pennsylvania R-STEP team, investing $270,000 from the State Energy Program (SEP) to provide training and technical assistance to local government officials on planning, siting, and permitting large-scale renewable energy projects.  DEP has conducted 26 listening sessions, reaching over 650 officials across all regions of the Commonwealth. These county-level sessions have offered local government practitioners to the opportunity to ask questions about the development of large-scale solar projects and understand the necessary steps to ensure responsible and sustainable implementation. Topics covered in these sessions include: land use and zoning ordinances site engineering and development and decommissioning requirements This initiative also led to the development of the Municipal Officials’ Guide to Grid-Scale Solar Development in Pennsylvania . With the R-STEP award, DEP will be able to expand this effort to reach more Pennsylvania communities and residents.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $117 million for three separate funding opportunities to advance recycling infrastructure and boost food waste prevention education across the country. Two of the notices are for Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grants – one funding opportunity for Tribes and intertribal consortia and another for communities (such as cities, counties, and parishes) across the country. The third notice is for EPA's Recycling Education and Outreach grant program and is focused on food waste prevention and composting. Some communities that lack waste management infrastructure do not have curbside waste collection services, recycling, or composting programs, which increases the strain on local waste management systems and increases greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, mismanaged waste contributes to health and economic issues in historically underserved and overburdened communities. Increasing recycling reduces climate, environmental, and social impacts of materials use and keeps valuable resources in use instead of in landfills. Preventing wasted food from ending up in landfills plays an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The grant opportunities announced today will improve waste management systems and consumer education and outreach on waste prevention and recycling, meeting Congress' goal to create a stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective U.S. recycling system. These funding opportunities also put the concrete steps identified in the " National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics " into action. The projects that EPA will fund under the Recycling Education and Outreach grant selection—including a national education and outreach campaign—will lead to more recycling through composting, less wasted food from households, better markets for selling compost, and less contamination in the compost stream. Projects funded through the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grants will improve post-consumer materials management and infrastructure. In addition, the grants support EPA's "National Recycling Strategy " goal of building an economy devoted to keeping materials, products, and services in circulation for as long as possible – what's known as a circular economy. EPA anticipates releasing its final " National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution " in the coming months. All are part of EPA's series on creating a circular economy for all. Both the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling and Recycling Education and Outreach grant programs advance President Biden's historic Justice40 Initiative , which aims to deliver at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, clean water, and other investments to communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. "We know that food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions like methane," GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. "We hope both the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County will consider applying for this funding as another way to help improve our air quality." Wanna learn more? Here are some helpful links: Read more about eligible applicants and activities for this funding opportunity for recycling education and outreach . For information about the current recycling grant program recipients, visit the recycling grant recipient webpage. For more information on preventing wasted food, visit the Sustainable Management of Food webpage . Learn more about EPA's circular economy work .

Some good news to share today: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the latest round of funding from the Clean School Bus Rebate Program with up to $965 million available to school districts. This fourth round of funding will build on the previous nearly $3 billion in investments being distributed nationwide to further improve air quality in and around schools, reduce greenhouse gas pollution fueling the climate crisis, and help accelerate America's leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future.   Under the Clean School Bus Program's multiple grant and rebate funding opportunities to date, EPA has awarded almost $3 billion to fund approximately 8,700 school bus replacements, about 95% of which are zero-emission, battery-electric.   About the 2024 Clean School Bus Rebate Competition   Here are some need-to-know details for those who want to apply: Applications for this year's Clean School Bus Rebate Program are due on the EPA online portal by 4 p.m. Jan 9. Applicants can request up to $325,000 per bus for up to 50 buses per application, an increase in the total buses per project in response to stakeholder feedback for larger projects to help achieve faster fleet turnover. Funds can be used to cover bus and infrastructure costs for awardees requesting electric school buses, as well as eligible training costs for bus drivers, electricians, and others working with the new buses or infrastructure.   But that's not all: Selectees may also be eligible for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits applicable to their bus and infrastructure purchases. For example, the clean vehicle tax credits for qualifying school buses are worth up to $40,000. Narrowing the cost difference between clean school buses and diesel school buses remains an integral goal of the EPA Clean School Bus Program. The agency adjusted electric school bus funding levels in this rebate program to help stretch funding further and drive down long-term electric school bus costs.    EPA is committed to ensuring the Clean School Bus Program advances environmental justice and delivers on President Biden's Justice40 Initiative , which sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. EPA will prioritize applications that replace buses serving low-income, rural, and Tribal students. Large school districts with communities of concentrated poverty may also submit documentation to be prioritized if their application focuses on clean school buses serving those communities. GASP has stood with advocates and public officials to celebrate and push for these types of historic investments, and we laud the EPA for its commitment to cleaner, greener school buses   "Diesel pollution is linked to asthma and myriad other public health problems and reductions in those emissions can make a real difference to the kids who have to breathe them - less emergency inhaler use; less missed school days because of asthma and other respiratory issues," GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. "This is an amazing opportunity that we hope local districts will seize - especially schools in environmental justice communities like the Mon Valley, where significant air quality challenges already exist."   To learn more about the EPA Clean School Bus Program, visit the Clean School Bus Program webpage . Questions and feedback may be directed to CleanSchoolBus@epa.gov .