Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Publishes 8-part

Air Quality Series

Starting Sunday, Dec. 12th, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette began an 8-part series on air quality in our region, and GASP will be commenting on the articles on our website.  Air quality in southwestern Pennsylvania is a serious problem, with grave consequences for human and ecological health.  Air pollution has been linked to cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, asthma, and chronic lung disease, among other ailments.  Fine particulates, ground-level ozone, mercury, benzene, and other damaging compounds are often invisible but are linked to severe health problems nonetheless.  Sources of these pollutants are plentiful, and are both mobile, such as trains, trucks, and construction equipment, and stationary, such as coal-fired power plants and coke-making facilities.

Learn more about the harmful effects of fine particulates with a GASP brochure here.

GASP has a long history of working on air quality issues in southwestern PA.  We understand the issues from technical and legal perspectives.  There are no easy answers to our ongoing dirty air problem.  Solutions will need to be both regional and local, and pollution reductions will need to come from both mobile and stationary sources.

We must continue our policy, advocacy, and educational efforts to increase community awareness about the problems, and to hold polluters and decision makers accountable for our region's air pollution.

What is GASP doing about it?

• Pushing for more protective Air Toxics Guidelines in Allegheny County, through advocacy and our membership on the Board of Health's Air Toxics Guideline Proposal Committee.
• GASP and Clean Water Action continue to lead the Allegheny County Partnership to Reduce Diesel Pollution.  The Partnership is currently advocating for clean construction legislation in Pittsburgh which would require contractors receiving public subsidies for large construction projects to work on reducing pollution from their fleets.
• Acting as an environmental watchdog, community organizer, and litigator.  GASP actively participates in environmental decision-making by educating and organizing the public, informing officials of the environmental consequences of their actions, testifying at hearings, submitting comments on regulatory proposals, and challenging permitting and regulatory decisons that have adverse environmental and human health consequences.
• Advocating for air quality regulations around natural gas drilling and urging drillers to utilize effective control technologies in their operations.  Check out our recent letter in the Post-Gazette.

What can you do?   Visit the web-sites:

(a)  www.gasp-pgh.org

(b) www.monvalleycleanair.org