A proposal that could increase by as much as 688% the fees and fines against U.S. Steel and other air polluters is before Allegheny County Council, the last stop before they potentially reach county Executive Sara Innamorato’s desk.
Advocates for cleaner air in the county have lauded the changes, saying the bump in fees is needed for a structural operating deficit in the air quality program — which county health officials say is in the red $1.8 million as of 2024.
U.S. Steel, an iconic industry in the Pittsburgh region and one facing a contentious and politically charged sale to a Japanese firm, has opposed the changes.
The fee increases themselves have remained unchanged since they were originally proposed by the county’s health department to the county’s Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee, a volunteer board that makes recommendations on air quality and related issues and policies.
Some of the proposed jumps are in the hundreds of dollars. But others, like one labeled “installation permit — new source review” would jump from $7,500 to $50,800.
Facilities would also have to pay thousands of dollars more in annual fees, depending on the level they pollute. That peaks at a facility polluting more than 100 tons of pollutants each year, from $8,000 to $55,000. Asbestos permitting would also increase in the hundreds or thousands of dollars.
These proposed changes got the green-light from the county’s Board of Health earlier this month in a 5-1 vote. The air pollution committee had voted 3-3 with one abstention after an exhaustive and technical debate in July. Multiple people who offered public comments on during both meetings supported the changes.
If the council passes the proposal, it would head to Ms. Innamorato’s desk for her signature. She ran for office last year on various climate and environmental issues, and staffers in her office have supported the proposal.
Zach Barber, clean air advocate for PennEnvironment, said Tuesday that he was optimistic — based on conversations his organization has had with several council members — that a majority of them would vote in favor of the fee changes.
“We’re excited to see this important clean air provision enter the red zone here, and to get it over the finish line,” Mr. Barber said.
A spokesperson for U.S. Steel, Andrew Fulton, offered the same statement provided to the Post-Gazette as earlier this year, which reads in part: “While the increases would not result in layoffs or facility closures for U.S. Steel, the ACHD failed to conduct any economic analysis before proposing the fee increases, which are bound to have a detrimental impact on businesses throughout the Mon Valley.”
Mr. Barber said he wasn’t surprised by the company’s opposition, given its history of being fined by the county’s health department.
Futules’ bill on fire safety education passes
County Council Member Nicholas Futules’ bill requiring that county health officials provide education on fire safety and prevention to businesses was approved Tuesday in a 14-1 vote. Council Member DeWitt Walton was the lone vote opposed.
Mr. Futules said he introduced the bill after his banquet hall and event center, Harmar House, was severely damaged by a spontaneous combustion fire in 2023, after kitchen towels left laying around burst into flames. Damage from the fire was about $6 million, he told colleagues during a health and human services committee meeting earlier this month.
Kitchen towels that might have linseed oil or other flammable materials, when bunched together, can combust without an external ignition source.
Mr. Futules said before Tuesday’s vote that the legislation was advisory in nature and would not impact the licensing of businesses.
First Published: September 24, 2024, 11:35 p.m.
Updated: September 25, 2024, 4:10 p.m.
