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