Pittsburgh Area Lags Behind in Reducing Air Pollution

Transcript

A study commissioned by The Heinz Endowments concludes that western Pennsylvania lags far behind other states in improving air quality. The Allegheny Front's Ann Murray talked with John Graham, the author of the report. Graham is a senior scientist with the Clean Air Task Force in Boston.

MURRAY: The report tracked two types of pollution: fine particulate matter and ground level ozone, a component of smog. †In the study, Graham compared the readings from regional air monitors to monitors in other states. He says over the past decade, the air quality throughout the Pittsburgh metro area was bad relative to the rest of the country.

GRAHAM: At the beginning of the decade for fine particles, there were two monitors in this region out of eleven that I used in this data set which were in the worst ten percent. By 2009, there were six of those eleven monitors in the worst grouping of monitors. So that meant that not only was the air quality here some of the worst in the nation but it wasn't just from one monitor, it was really wide spread.

MURRAY: The report asserts that most of the pollution came from local coal-fired power plants and cars and trucks. Some was blown in from other states. Owners of regional†power plants complain that the study didn't take into account recent air pollution controls. Graham concedes that emissions in western PA started to decline in the very last part of the decade. But he cautions the Pittsburgh area hasn't caught up with reductions that have happened in other states and federal air standards are likely to be made tougher. That means the region won't†meet air quality requirements any time soon. The Heinz study echoes findings from the American Lung Association 2010 State of the Air assessment.

For The Allegheny Front, I'm Ann Murray.