Air Quality

When regional air quality does not meet the necessary standards, economic development is negatively affected by resulting restrictions on business expansion. Therefore, The Conference and its Affiliates work with city, county, state, and federal entities to achieve the maximum air quality with the fewest disadvantages to regional economic competitiveness.

Three current areas of focus were chosen because they have the greatest amount of impact on our business climate. They are:

• 8-Hour Ozone Standards
• Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) Standards
• Air Quality Regulations

8-Hour Ozone Standards

When the region exceeds ozone limits, as it did with 1-hour ozone standards in the mid-1990s, it can be an obstacle to new industry in the region because the limits imposed on existing businesses constrain their growth.

The region has met the 1-hour standard since 2001. When the more restrictive 8-hour standard came into effect in 2004, we once again set about meeting the challenge of attaining this more protective standard. Three areas of southwestern Pennsylvania are regulated under the new standard – Greene County, Indiana County and the seven-county Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley region. The first two have met the 8-hour standard and are recommended for redesignation from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley region is very close to attainment.

These air quality advances pave the way for removal of our “nonattainment” designation, demonstrating that our residents are breathing cleaner air than at any time since before the industrial revolution. Cleaner air will eventually mean a simplified permitting process for companies interested in locating or expanding operations in the region.

Fine Particular Matter (PM 2.5) Standards

Our region is also subject to regulations on fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), commonly known as soot. When the designations for PM 2.5 were under development, an area in the Monongahela Valley, which presents a unique concern due to the local factors, was designated as the only one of its kind in the country that does not represent the air quality of the region surrounding it.

Reaching this designation was an effort stewarded by the Conference, working in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the DEP, the Allegheny County Health Department, and elected officials at the county, state and federal levels to reach this customized solution to benefit the southwestern Pennsylvania economy.

Air Quality Regulations

The Challenge:
The DEP oversees compliance with air quality regulations in southwestern Pennsylvania with the exception of Allegheny County, which is overseen by the Allegheny County Health Department. This responsibility includes processing and approving permits for businesses whose operations may have an affect on air quality.

The Solution:
The Conference believes that it is in the best interest of the region that the permitting regulations themselves are as balanced as possible, and that DEP’s and the Health Department’s stewardship of duties in this area be as efficient as possible. To help achieve both ends, the Conference:

• reviews proposed regulations to determine what implications they carry for economic competitiveness

• develops recommendations as needed to address any identified issues

• works with these agencies to implement the recommendations