Sierra Club, Residents Urge ACHD to Finalize Cheswick Air Pollution Permit Quickly #CleanAir

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) hosted a hearing in Pittsburgh on August 1st regarding the draft Title V air pollution permit which would reduce smog-causing nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution caused from the Cheswick coal-fired power plant by 75 percent compared to 2014 levels. Over 70 residents attended the hearing where they urged ACHD to quickly finalize the draft permit and require the plant to run its controls for smog-causing NOx pollution, and limit other pollution emissions in the area. If finalized, this would mark the first time the plant would be required to run its NOx pollution controls since installing them back in 2003.

In 2014, Cheswick was the largest industrial NOx polluter in Allegheny County and was responsible for 46 percent of all stationary smog-causing pollution in the county. Currently, the plant also emits more mercury and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) than any other industrial source in the area and is the second-highest source of soot. Additionally, the region violates federal standards for smog, also known as ground level ozone, and has already suffered from twelve bad air days this summer. On these days smog levels were high enough to make it dangerous for children, the elderly, and people with respiratory illness like asthma to go outside.

The proposed permit would lower allowable SO₂ pollution by nearly two-thirds, ensuring that federal pollution protection standards won’t be exceeded and communities will be safeguarded from unhealthy levels of SO₂ in the air.

In response, New Voices, Group Against Smog and Pollution, PennEnvironment and the Sierra Club, issued the following comments:

“We thank the Health Department and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald for clamping down on air pollution from this plant, but now it’s time to make good on their promise, finalize the safer pollution limits and ensure proper enforcement,” Randy Francisco, Senior Organizing Representative at the Sierra Club said. “The Cheswick coal-fired power plant has been unnecessarily harming families and polluting the region for too long. Tell Cheswick to start running their air pollution controls as soon as possible and protect the health of families throughout the region.”

“New Voices is committed to the health and well-being of Black women and girls and air quality is essential for the precious lives of Black Women and their families,” Carmen Alexander, Senior Operations Manager from New Voices said.

“We are pleased to see that the permit requires the Cheswick Generating Station to reduce its emissions for a number of harmful air pollutants by significant quantities,” Rachel Filippini, executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution said. “These emissions reduction should help improve public health in the areas affected by the plant’s emissions.”

“Thanks to this effort to cut pollution from the Cheswick Power Plant, tens of thousands of children in Allegheny County will breathe easier when they head outside to play,” Adam Garber, Field Director for PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center said. “Additionally their parents can take comfort in knowing another asthma attack is less likely to be around the corner.”