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Wednesday, May 28, 2003

HEALTH DEPARTMENT: Permit proposal

The Allegheny County Health Department's Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee yesterday agreed to consider a proposal that the county not issue permits that limit pollution to companies that are in violation of previously issued permits.

The committee's regulation subcommittee will review the proposal by Clean Water Action, which is seeking to require the Health Department to deny permits to so-called "bad actor" companies. Any recommendation by the subcommittee would have to be approved by the full committee, the Allegheny County Board of Health and County Council.

The board of health decided at its May 7 meeting that it would not institute a "bad actor" provision because the county's air pollution regulations already allow the department to reject permits for companies with poor compliance records.

Myron Arnowitt, Clean Water Action regional director, said that while the department has the authority to deny permits, there is no law requiring the department to take any action against permit applicants with outstanding permit violations.

The issue has been widely discussed for nearly two years, since Shenango Inc., a coke maker on Neville Island with a long history of air quality violations, applied for a permit to expand its operations. The company has since dropped its expansion plans.