Falling ozone pollution levels have led southwestern Pennsylvania to be declared in “attainment” of the current federal health-based standard, a status that had eluded the region for decades. But at the same time, fine particulate pollution levels rose last year as a reminder of the air quality problems that linger in the region. Both ozone... More
Air quality in the United Sates is governed by a complex regulatory structure that sets pollution limits and authorizes federal, state and local agencies to enforce them. The regulations which agencies enforce vary with the source of pollution, what they emit and the air quality in the region where they are located. Federal President Richard... More
Recent concentrations of fine particulate and ground level ozone air pollution follow a familiar trend. Both are improving, the most recent federal single-year data suggest. But only ozone meets health-based air quality standards when longer-term levels are considered. The 8-hour annual average for ozone in southwestern Pennsylvania fell to .073 parts per million in 2016,... More
Researchers have identified underground structures in southwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia suitable for a natural gas storage hub, a key part of an initiative to develop a petrochemical-manufacturing corridor in the region. Meanwhile, Shell has agreed to expand air quality monitoring at the ethane cracker complex being built in Beaver County. More
The use of money bonds to hold people who are arrested is falling out of favor in an increasing number of courts across the U.S., and Allegheny County is among them. The reasons include concerns about mass incarceration, as well as jail costs, civil lawsuits and studies that find jail time increases the chances of... More
Ozone and PM2.5 are the region’s biggest air hazards The heavy smoke is gone. But particulates 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair and gases formed by the reaction of sunlight and fossil fuels exhaust remain as the region’s most widespread, stubborn and dangerous air quality problems. Unlike the smoke that draped... More
Southwestern Pennsylvania and air quality have long had a complicated relationship. For the better part of a century, the region had been a place so polluted from the soot of industry and homes heated by coal that street lamps were lit in the afternoon and walking a single block could ruin the collar of a... More
In a region conceived around the principles of sustainability, clean, healthy air is an undisputed staple. Southwestern Pennsylvania is not there yet. The air has markedly improved from the days when industry was the backbone of the economy. Yet, in the best of years, it’s only good enough to warrant a healthy rating on one-third... More
Undertaking sustainable practices remains largely voluntary in Pittsburgh and surrounding counties. But the potential for saving money and a changing business climate are turning the heads of an increasing number of building owners, companies, local governments and schools. More