County late on permits for major polluters, groups say

Petition cites delays of over 20 years

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Four environmental organizations say the Allegheny County Health Department has been chronically late in issuing and renewing required operating permits for the biggest pollution sources, and they have asked federal regulators to impose strong sanctions, including loss of program oversight.

According to a Clean Air Council petition filed Thursday with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Health Department has failed to issue Title V permit renewals for 15 of 32 major pollution sources within the 18-month time frame required by the federal Clean Air Act.

Two of the permit renewals have been pending for more than 20 years. Others have been delayed for 19, nine, eight and six years, the petition said. The department also recently issued new or renewed Title V major source permits to eight other facilities after delays ranging from 20 to two years.

Among the major pollution sources identified by the petition as operating in the county without a permit renewal for more than 18-months are U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works; PPG Industries’ facility and Allegheny Energy’s coal-burning power plant, both in Springdale; the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority in Woods Run; and Eastman Chemical Resins Inc. in Jefferson Hills and Allegheny Ludlum LLC in Harrison, both operating for more than 20 years with permits “pending.”

A “major source” is an industrial facility that emits or has the potential to annually emit 100 tons of any air pollutant, 10 tons of any hazardous air pollutant or 25 tons of a combination of hazardous pollutants. It’s legal for companies to operate under terms of their old permits while awaiting permit renewal, but the 20-page petition alleges that the longstanding processing backlog undermines public participation in the permitting process and makes it difficult for the public to know what the emissions limits are and when the emitters are in violation of those limits.

“When the County petitioned to take over the Title V program they made a commitment to EPA and the people of Allegheny County, and those living down wind, to properly administer the program,” said Joe Minott, Clean Air Council executive director and chief counsel. “They have reneged on that commitment.”

Health Department Director Karen Hacker issued a statement saying issuance of Title V