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Report suggests uniform air quality rules statewide
Tuesday, June 27, 2000 By Don Hopey, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Allegheny County's air quality has improved enough so that regulations more stringent than state standards are no longer needed, according to the draft report of a transition committee appointed by Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey.
The findings and recommendations praise the county Health Department's historical role in improving the local environment but say a shrunken industrial base and parallel state standards make the county's tougher air regulations "anachronistic and inefficient."
The draft environmental program review, circulated among committee members earlier this month by E. Joseph Duckett, vice president of environmental engineering for Eichleay Engineers Inc., also recommends that the county Air Quality Program be used to enforce state regulations, decisions on air emissions operating permits be made promptly within a "guaranteed" time frame and the Health Department be tied closely to the county's development process to facilitate resolution of environmental issues.
"My recommendation is to eliminate the different sets of rules, not the department itself," Duckett said. "I look at these as a draft. Some may not make it through a final cut."
The volunteer committee, appointed by Roddey in January, already has rejected a recommendation by Joe Chnupa, assistant regional director of the state Department of Environmental Protection, that the county's Air Quality Program be disbanded and its duties taken over by the state.
It's not the first time talk of the state taking over the county program has surfaced. In 1996, county Commissioner Larry Dunn favored abolishing the county's program.
The DEP was interested, but federal audit findings that the state covered up violations of the Clean Air Act and failed to make companies comply with the law ended public discussion of the move even though the DEP denied the allegations.
Roddey has not seen the committee's draft recommendations and has not taken a public position on either changing the county's stricter air quality regulations to mirror the state regulations or turning over the Air Quality Program to the state.
Daniel Bricmont, chairman of the Health Department's Air Quality Citizens Advisory Committee and mayor of Avalon, said the county's tougher air regulations have been effective and the proposal to do away with them is tantamount to "backsliding."
"It seems our air quality regulations have been working over the last 50 years and if they're getting the job done, if they're not broken, there's no need to fix them," he said.
Although many steel mills have shut down, the county continues to regulate two coke-making facilities including the world's largest in Clairton, numerous chemical and industrial processing plants, and several coal-fired electric generating facilities.
It is also densely populated when compared with the rest of the state, excluding Philadelphia County, which is the only other county in the state with its own air regulations and health department.
"The committee recommendation is not unlike suggestions we've heard in the past from industry," Bricmont said. "This is an overly broad proposal. They want to make everything the same throughout the state without paying attention to the history, population density, the number of sources and the toxicity of emissions.
"Places like Elk County or even Fayette County don't have the air quality issues Allegheny County has. There may be certain areas where more stringent regulations are no longer needed, but they should be addressed on an issue-by-issue basis."
The committee, one of 15 formed by Roddey to study various aspects of county government, is expected to make its final recommendations to Roddey in July.
Roddey will review the nonbinding recommendations and decide which, if any, to forward to the county manager for implementation. County Council approval is needed to make changes to county laws or privatize services.
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