Since 2018 we’ve reported on the backlogs that exist at ACHD and DEP’s six regional offices for processing “Over the years we’re seen noticeable improvement in the size of the backlogs at ACHD and DEP’s regional For example, our investigation found the backlog of permit applications at ACHD jumped to the highest it’s been in years in terms of percentage of all major sources with backlogged applications.” About Allegheny County’s Title V Backlog… There are now 23 major sources operating in Allegheny County

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

Additionally, it is expected to help resolve other long-standing issues like ACHD’s air quality permit backlog

Department's Title V Air Quality Fund and permitting function, which showed repeat concerns with a backlog The Health Department has made progress in recent years in reducing the backlog of outstanding permits GASP was the first to raise the alarm over ACHD’s Title V permit backlog. Our senior attorney John Baillie has been tracking the backlog and has crafted yearly investigations

GASP’s legal team first sounded the alarm about a backlog of applications for new or renewed Title V Since then, we’ve provided periodic updates about ACHD’s efforts to whittle down that backlog, and even watchdog work to include information regarding the state Department of Environmental Protection’s permit backlog investigation found that while strides have been made at both the county and state level to reduce the backlog We updated our research on the backlogs again this year. 

GASP was the first to raise an alarm over a permit backlog at the Allegheny County Health Department,

noted that those funding and staffing deficiencies have contributed to ACHD’s lingering Title V permit backlog

Right now, ACHD’s Air Quality Program is facing a permit backlog, which means that many polluting facilities Having a fully staffed program is essential to eliminating that backlog.  

We have blogged several times about the Allegheny County Health Department’s backlog of Title V Operating recently reviewed ACHD’s Title V permitting program and directed ACHD to develop a plan to address its backlog In a nutshell, to eliminate the backlog, ACHD has committed to adding necessary staff and publishing

Note: Big thank you to WTAE Investigative Reporter Paul Van Osdel for his story about this air quality backlog the jurisdiction of that office in May, we’ve learned one facility we included in the list of those backlogged So, based on this new information, we count: 50 major sources with backlogged permits are under review permits that have been pending for more than 18 months: Here’s a revised summary of what the permit backlogs