Allegheny County Council urging EPA to lower soot pollution standards

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Allegheny County council members are sharing a strong message to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about lowering soot pollution standards.

The last two days in the Pittsburgh region have been beautiful and springlike but the air quality has been terrible, especially in the Mon Valley. People who are fed up with days like this asked Allegheny County Council to do something about it on Tuesday night.

"At 12:38 a.m., there was a spike in air pollution. The Liberty monitor read an index of 124 of fine particulates, making it the number two worst monitor in the U.S. By 2:31 a.m., the situation got worse. It jumped to 162, red and unhealthy for everyone, and ranked number one, worst in the country," said Matt Mehalik, Director of Breathe Project.

Mehalik told County Council members that he wishes air quality alert days in our area were isolated incidents, but they're not.

He was one of several air quality advocates and residents who urged council to send comments to the EPA about its proposed annual standards on fine particulate matter, or soot pollution. Earlier this year, EPA proposed bringing the limits down from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to between 9 and 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

"If this were like a race, we would be coming in last place," Mehalik said.

Air quality advocates said that the proposed limit wouldn't be enough. They want the standard to be 8 micrograms per cubic meter as the air quality has been an ongoing health concern for people who live in areas like the Mon Valley.

Mehalik told council members they have a chance to help save thousands of lives.

"These actions will carry us down this path for current and future generations and really make life better for all of us," Mehalik said.

"It really makes me sad that the minute I retire, I gotta get out of here because the air is unsafe for me to live here so I appreciate all you can do for the younger generations," said one resident.

After hearing these concerns, County Council approved a motion 11 to 1 to urge the EPA to bring the annual standard for soot pollution down to 8 micrograms per cubic meter.

County Councilman Paul Klein is the chair of the Committee on Health and Human Services. He told KDKA the current standard is outdated.

"Here we are 11 years later with no change at all," said Klein.

Klein told KDKA-TV in a statement, "I proposed that we (as a public body) encourage the adoption of the more stringent standards, and so the purpose of this council motion was to endorse such measures on the public record and to submit this sense of council to the EPA during the 'comment period', so that the EPA, in its consideration of the many comment submissions, would take note of the submission by this duly elected public body. In amending the motion, I proposed a more stringent standard than was proposed by the EPA, given that the EPA had not reviewed these standards in almost eleven years. Council voted on and approved the amendment which will be published in the comments that the EPA will review."

Mehalik said the EPA should also improve the 24-hour standard by changing it to 25 micrograms per cubic meter. It's currently set to 35 micrograms per cubic meter. He said he would like to see that standard a 24-hour rolling average, instead of midnight to midnight.

Mehalik thanked the County Council members for stepping up to help communities heal and breathe better.

"That really sends a strong message where the county government of part of the country that has a lot of industrial pollution saying that it needs to be improved to protect the health of our region really says a lot. The EPA I think will hear that and make a big difference," he said.

Zachary Barber, a clean air advocate with PennEnvironment, also shared his thoughts during the meeting. He said soot pollution can cause cancer and other health problems.

"Since we have levels of it in our county, our region would be a place that would see healthier lives, longer lives as a result of lowering this standard," Barber said.

Barber shared a statement with KDKA that said, "Last night, Allegheny County Council sent a strong message in support of cleaner air and healthier lives in our region. The toxic scourge of soot pollution continues to make people sick here in Allegheny County and beyond. Allegheny County Council is joining more than 10,000 Pennsylvanians in submitting comments to the EPA calling for stronger health protections from soot pollution. If the EPA follows the advice of Allegheny County Council, they would save thousands of lives every single year, especially in places like the Pittsburgh region. I applaud the leadership of Council members Klein and Prizio, along with the other Council members who supported this resolution."

The EPA is taking comments on the proposed standard changes through March 28th.

You can learn more here.

You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072 online, by emailing a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov and including the Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072 in the subject line of the message or by mail to this address: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, Air and Radiation Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.