NEXT Pittsburgh recently published an article entitled “5 Challenges Facing Pittsburgh and what we’re doing about them,” and air pollution was number one on the list.
Air pollution is a complex problem, to say the least (Dr. Neil Donahue at CMU explains just how complex on
Essential Pittsburgh). Car exhaust as well as diesel from trucks, buses and industrial facilities all contribute to unhealthy levels of particle pollution and toxics – emissions that are known or suspected of causing cancer, birth defects, neurological problems and other serious health risks – in the air we breathe.
If you’ve been paying attention in Pittsburgh, the fact that air pollution remains a problem, even as we move away from the city’s industrial past, will come as no surprise. Both the
Post-Gazette and
Trib have published stories on air pollution this fall and the local National Public Radio station, WESA, spent another
hour last Wednesday addressing the harmful impact of pollution from DTE’s Shenango Coke plant on the surrounding community. During the WESA radio show, the Deputy Director of Environmental Health at the Allegheny County Health Department articulated the problem well when he pointed out that, inevitably, an industrial coke plant, located in a densely populated area, is going to put a “significant burden” on the surrounding community.
The question, then, is does the community have a say in reducing that burden?
In August, the Allegheny County Health Department signed a consent order and agreement with U.S. Steel's Clairton plant, fining the facility for daily violations and outlining a timeline for compliance with no public involvement.
There was no notification and there were no public meetings. U.S. Steel was given the opportunity to negotiate just how long they can continue to dump unhealthy levels of pollution into the air but the people who live, work and play in the shadow of the plant, battling higher than average rates of asthma, cancer and respiratory illnesses, had no say.
As the steel city continues to become a tech city, we need to re-examine the cost of our ongoing industrial legacy. Right now, residents and clean businesses, which struggle to attract employees to a region with some of the worst air in the country, are paying the price. It’s high time we shifted that burden onto the polluters themselves.
Want to get involved and speak out against unhealthy air in our region? Email me at souter-kline [at] pennfuture.org.
Valessa Souter-Kline is PennFuture's western Pennsylvania outreach coordinator and is based in Pittsburgh. She tweets @ValessaSK.
