
Allegheny county elected officials, groups call for clean air
Dear Allegheny County Health Department,
As elected officials, health professionals, and community organizations from Allegheny County, we write to express our strong support for the Department’s proposal to increase fees for air polluters in the region and direct the money to ACHD’s Air Program to improve air quality.
As community leaders representing and working with communities within Allegheny County, we know that unhealthy air quality is one of our region’s most pressing public health threats. Recent studies have shown that the region’s air is unsafe to breathe one out of every three days, and that local polluters release one million pounds of dangerous toxins like soot (linked to asthma and premature death) and benzene (linked to cancer) into Allegheny County’s air each year.
To protect health, reduce these harmful emissions, and hold facilities that violate their air pollution permits accountable, it’s vital the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has the resources it needs. Sadly, underfunding and under-staffing have hindered ACHD’s ability to stop illegal pollution and effectively reduce air emissions in the Pittsburgh region. By increasing the fees charged to local emitters, ACHD can better stand up for the health of our region.
The proposal put forth by ACHD is a crucial step in the right direction. We encourage the Health Department to consider strengthening the plan to further increase staffing at ACHD’s Air Program to ensure the agency can eliminate the backlog of expired pollution permits and bring illegal air polluters into compliance.
Clean air should be a right, not a privilege for Allegheny County residents. Please move quickly to approve this proposal, so we can turn that vision into a reality, and thank you for your leadership on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Elected Officials
State Senator Lindsey Williams
State Representative Jessica Benham
State Representative Dan Frankel
State Representative Lindsay Powell
State Representative Mandy Steele
Allegheny County Councilmember Anita Prizio
Allegheny County Councilmember Bethany Hallam
Allegheny County Councilmember Dan Grzybek
Allegheny County Councilmember Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis
Allegheny County Councilmember Paul Klein
Aspinwall Mayor Joseph D Noro
Aspinwall Councilmember Mark Chimel
Aspinwall Council President Jeff Harris
Bellevue Councilman Jeff Stuncard
East McKeesport Councilman Joe Kleppick
Etna Jessica Semler Councilwoman
Etna Councilperson Alice Gabriel
Franklin Park Councilmember Jiang Li
O’Hara Councilmember Richard Hughes
Pittsburgh Councilmember Barb Warwick
Pittsburgh Councilmember Erika Strassburger
Pittsburgh Councilmember Khari Mosley
Swissvale Councilmember Chris Ansell
Swissvale Councilmember Fred Quinn III
Swissvale Councilman Kevin Hanes
Whitehall Councilmember Beth Eicher
Wilkins Township Commissioner Michael Boyd
Wilkinsburg Councilmember NaTisha C Washington
Wilkinsburg Councilmember Pamela Macklin
Wilkinsburg Councilmember Renee Haynes-Johnson
Wilkinsburg Councilmember William Smith III
Community Organizations
Allegheny County Clean Air Now
Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC)
Breathe Project
Clean Water Action PA
Climate Reality Project: Pittsburgh & SWPA Chapter
Conservation Voters of PA
CREATE Lab
Environmental Health Project
Environmental Integrity Project
Food & Water Watch PA
Group Against Smog & Pollution
PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center
PennFuture
PennPIRG at Pitt
Pittsburgh Sunrise Movement
Physicians for Social Responsibility – PA
Southwest Pennsylvania Resident-Led Town Halls
Three Rivers Waterkeeper
Women for a Healthy Environment
Health Professionals
Dr. Deborah Gentile
Kathleen Krebs, RN
Dr. Christine Larson
Dr. Patricia Passeltiner
Dr. Susan Safyan
Dr. Helen Stickney