PublicSource | News for a better Pittsburgh (https://www.publicsource.org/category/environment/)
The Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee, appointed by the county executive, is the starting point for all local air quality rules in Allegheny County, including those setting emissions standards, reporting requirements and enforcement.
As the Pittsburgh City Council is nearing a vote on whether to start collecting a parks tax that voters approved by referendum last year, City Controller Michael Lamb said the city has no choice but to start collecting the tax. "At this point, I think council has got to move forward with this and I think they are legally required to move forward with this," Lamb said. "I don't think there is too much wiggle room in getting out of it given the wording of the referendum." PublicSource reported last month that at least two city councilors preferred not to collect the tax at all. But Lamb said at a press conference Thursday that his understanding is that the council will vote to start collecting the tax in 2021.
The Pittsburgh-area economy has slowly become less reliant on heavy industry since the steel collapse of the 1980s, but environmental advocates said Thursday that Southwestern Pennsylvania is at a “fulcrum point” in deciding what its future economy will look like.
Allegheny County’s bill to heat seven of its biggest buildings is expected to rise under a contract with Peoples Natural Gas, as the county prepares to abandon a cooperative Downtown steam system, following a contracting process that some officials now question.
For the first time in four years, the lead levels in Pittsburgh’s drinking water are compliant with federal standards.
The political context of the parks tax has changed considerably since March. The original debate over the tax centered around what it meant to spend the money equitably. Since then, Black Lives Matter protests across Pittsburgh have put the issue of equity front-and-center, drawing attention — and often support — from council.
COVID-19 cost jobs, closed businesses and limited travel. But the economic ruin has also led to record low levels of pollution and huge reductions in climate change emissions globally.
Some of the changes, such as remote work, could have lasting benefits for the environment, even after the economy restarts. Other changes, such as a decrease in the use of mass transportation, could make environmental problems worse.
The county touted Bogen’s work helping to address the persistent inequity between Black and white mothers, and her work helping to address the opioid crisis. But Bogen said she has significant work to do to learn more about the coronavirus and the air quality regulations that took up significant time of her predecessor, Dr. Karen Hacker.
Downtown interests are deciding whether to sell a shared heating system that the county plans to abandon, but that the city views as an asset as it pursues environmental goals.
