(HEALTH) Health Department Awards 2.3M in Air Quality Grants

PITTSBURGH – At last week’s Board of Health meeting, the board awarded $2,312,086 to fund five Clean Air Fund projects. Three projects will aid Allegheny County municipalities in electrifying their vehicle fleets and two projects will see 150 trees planted in the county.

The funding for the five projects comes from the Clean Air Fund, which is funded solely through penalties collected from air pollution emitters by the Air Quality Program’s enforcement efforts. No tax dollars will be utilized for these projects.

“The Allegheny County Health Department has employed an array of strategies to improve the region’s air quality,” explained Acting ACHD Director Patrick Dowd. “Focusing on municipal fleet electrification and tree canopy expansion are evidence-based ways we can reduce emissions.”

Data analyzed by the Allegheny County Health Department’s Air Quality Program shows vehicle PM2.5 emissions contribute approximately 25 percent of all air pollution in Allegheny County.

Mon Valley municipalities were the focus of the fleet electrification grant efforts. Applicants were asked to replace diesel-fueled vehicles with zero-emission equivalents, and/or acquire the necessary infrastructure to support a zero-emission fleet. The maximum award for an individual fleet electrification grant was $750,000. The Steel Rivers Council of Governments, West Mifflin Borough and Swissvale Borough were all awarded grants to electrify their municipal fleets.

The Steel Rivers Council of Governments (SRCOG) was awarded $750,000 to purchase an electric street sweeper. SRCOG represents 19 municipalities in the Mon Valley region. The project will see the organization’s 2006 diesel-powered street sweeper decommissioned and scrapped and replaced with an all-electric street sweeper. The SRCOG’s street sweeping program reduces stormwater pollution by removing silt, trash and chemicals from streets and alleys before it enters the storm drainage system.

West Mifflin Borough was awarded $748,339 to purchase an electric rear-load garbage packer, two electric vehicle charging stations and an electrical service upgrade at the vehicle site. The project will see the organization’s 2007 diesel-powered refuse truck rendered inoperable and scrapped. The primary goal of installing the new electric infrastructure, aside from the immediate conversion to an electric garbage packer, is to ensure that the planned conversion to an all-electric municipal vehicle fleet is practicable for the borough.

Swissvale Borough was awarded $700,000 to purchase an electric trash and an electric recycling truck, as well as two charging stations at the borough’s Public Works Department. The project will see the organization’s 2016 trash collection truck and 2014 recycling truck disabled and scrapped. The electrification of one trash and one recycling truck by the Borough of Swissvale will be the second step in investing in a sustainable fleet by Swissvale Borough.

“Mobile sources, such as cars, motorcycles, buses and trucks, are a significant source of PM2.5 in Allegheny County,” said ACHD Environmental Health Deputy Director Geoff Rabinowitz. “The more gas- and diesel-powered vehicles we can remove from service and replaced with zero-emission alternatives, the more we can reduce the emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The awarding of these grants is an important step forward in helping improve the air quality in the Mon Valley and beyond.”

The addition of trees to a given geographic area improves air quality. According to a study by the National Recreation and Park Association, trees and vegetation can help reduce air pollution both by directly removing pollutants and by reducing air temperatures. Annual pollution removal benefits by U.S. trees located in urban areas are estimated at about 75,000 tons, or 80 pounds per acre of tree cover.

Through this round of Clean Air Fund project funding, the Health Department also sought projects aimed at obtaining, planting and maintaining the tree population throughout Allegheny County. Proposed projects were asked to prioritize areas with a lower percentage of tree canopy. Applicants could be both municipalities and community organizations. Projects were required to be located on public land, near pollution sources or in pollution corridors, and utilize tree species that are native, drought tolerant and provide maximum pollution reduction.

Tree Pittsburgh was awarded two separate $46,000 grants. The first grant will see 75 caliper, balled and burlap trees planted in the Woodland Hills School District. The second grant awarded to Tree Pittsburgh will support the planting of 75 caliper, balled and burlap trees in the Steel Valley School District. Both plantings will take place as part of the organization’s One Tree Per Child program is designed to engage students in hands-on educational activities, including tree planting and care.

Prior to the projects being approved by the Board of Health, they were reviewed and supported by the Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee. The Air Quality Program anticipates awarding additional Clean Air Fund project grants in 2024.

Allegheny County’s Clean Air Fund, in part, supports activities and projects that:

Improve air quality by reducing, eliminating or preventing air pollution
Broaden understanding of air quality effects through health studies
Educate the public on issues concerning air pollution
Provide special purpose ambient air monitoring
Complete any other project consistent with the provisions of Article XXI and the mission of the Board of Health

To learn more about the ACHD’s air quality efforts, visit: alleghenycounty.us/airquality