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County's clean air ordinance battled
Thursday, October 18, 2001 By Jeffrey Cohan, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Some manufacturers are trying to kill a proposed ordinance that would tighten air pollution regulations in Allegheny County.
An attorney representing two manufacturing companies gave notice to County Council yesterday that the proposal faces opposition.
"We'd like to see the bill dead," said attorney Brent Fewell, who declined to name the companies he is representing.
The ordinance, among other things, includes a "bad actor" provision that would prevent companies from expanding or building plants if they have violated the terms of their air pollution permits within the preceding 12 months.
Sponsored by two Democratic and two Republican council members, the ordinance has been under discussion for almost four months, but nobody from the manufacturing sector had spoken out about the proposal until yesterday.
Fewell, from the law firm of Jones Day, called the ordinance "draconian."
Dr. Bruce Dixon, director of the county Health Department, withdrew some of his own objections to the proposal yesterday during a meeting of council's Human Services Committee.
This summer, Dixon contended that only the federal government had the authority to adopt the regulations found in the ordinance. But yesterday, Dixon said, "In general, I think these things are reasonable."
The ordinance was drafted by Clean Water Action, an environmental group that devotes much of its energy to fighting air pollution.
In addition to the "bad actor" provision, the ordinance would require the Health Department to consider the cumulative impact of nearby air pollution sources when deciding whether to issue a permit.
"We're trying to do away with air pollution in Allegheny County," said Councilman Mike Crossey, D-Mt. Lebanon, one of the four co-sponsors.
A final vote won't come for several weeks.
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