This significant milestone marks a collaborative effort between EPA, the Allegheny County Health Department, and the Department of Environmental Protection to improve air quality for the communities within Liberty, Lincoln, Port Vue, Glassport boroughs, and the City of Clairton.
"We’re excited to announce the approval of Liberty-Clairton as a designated maintenance area, marking a significant achievement in air quality standards. This milestone is a testament to the power of teamwork and collaboration between EPA, the Allegheny County Health Department, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said EPA Region 3 Administrator Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey. “We commend Pennsylvania’s efforts to meet their goals and remain committed to working alongside our partners by promoting and delivering practices that provide healthy, clean air to all Americans."
To redesignate a nonattainment area to attainment, the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA to determine the state has met all applicable requirements for that National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
Fine particulate pollution, known as PM2.5, can originate directly from sources or form secondarily through atmospheric chemical reactions involving precursor pollutants.
EPA's decision reflects the successful implementation of strategies to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NOx), ammonia (NH3), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to PM2.5 formation.
This action does not redesignate the Allegheny County Area to attainment for the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS.
EPA’s final rule details how the Liberty-Clairton Area meets the CAA requirements for redesignation, including a maintenance plan outlining sustained practices for continued compliance.
Click Here for the Federal Register notice.
Allegheny County Maintenance Plan Approval
In addition, EPA has approved the Commonwealth’s plan to maintain air quality standards in the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 annual PM2.5 standard through 2035.
This plan encompasses all municipalities within Allegheny County and includes provisions for local controls should the 2012 annual PM2.5 standard be violated.
Click Here for the EPA announcement.
Reactions
The Pittsburgh-based Group Against Smog and Pollution had this reaction to the announcement--
“We've collectively pushed for stronger regulations, held polluters accountable, and championed solutions to clear our skies,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “But this isn't the finish line; it's just a crucial milestone. The approval of the maintenance plan for Allegheny County is precisely what we need to ensure this progress isn't fleeting.”
“This maintenance plan is a vital tool, outlining the ongoing strategies and contingency measures that will prevent backsliding and ensure the hard-won air quality improvements we've achieved are sustained for generations to come,” Campbell continued. “We must remain vigilant and committed to its implementation."
“Right now, ACHD leadership has made it clear that they do not have those resources,” Campbell explained. “This attainment news should be a wakeup call to Allegheny County Council members who have been stalling on a vote to approve fee schedule changes that would ensure this air quality progress continues.”
Click Here for the GASP statement.
The Breathe Project released this statement on EPA's action--
The EPA Region 3 press statement on July 24, 2025, announcing the “Allegheny, Liberty-Clairton Areas Reach Air Quality Milestones Following EPA Approval” omits the most important fact about this region’s air quality: Allegheny County and Liberty Clairton do not meet the latest 2024 standard based on the three-year average of 2022-24.
The NAAQS standard is set at 9 ug/m3 for annual average fine particle pollution (PM 2.5) based on 2022-2024 data.
Instead, the release highlights that these regions have met standards set in 1997 for annual average fine particle pollution (PM 2.5) at 15 ug/m3.
This achievement is relevant only by highlighting how much later our region has met this standard compared with other places.
Liberty-Clairton is one of the last to be redesignated for meeting the 1997 standard out of 39 regions that did not meet this standard set 28 years ago.
“This highlights how much of a laggard our region has been on air quality: Only 3 regions in the country now do not meet that standard,” said Matt Mehalik, executive director of the Breathe Project.
“In terms of the 2006 standard for 24-hour average air quality of 35 ug/m3 announced in the release: When this standard was set in 2006, there were 32 areas designated as not meeting the standard, including Liberty-Clairton. 21 have subsequently met this standard by May of 2025. Liberty-Clairton is now the 22nd out of 32 to do so. Again, this laggard performance.”
The EPA press release further announced that Allegheny County is to follow a maintenance plan to continue to demonstrate it is capable of meeting the 2012 PM 2.5 standard of 12 ug/m3.
“We need to keep our focus on what the current standards are so that we can continue to come together to reduce our region’s air quality public health risks,” said Mehalik. “This means striving to meet the 9 ug/m3 2024 fine particle standard as soon as possible and not being distracted by meeting outdated standards decades after they are announced.
“The public deserves clarity from our public health and regulatory agencies to avoid confusing residents into thinking that the Mon Valley has achieved current regulatory standards for annual fine particle emissions, which it has not.”
On Feb 7, 2024, the Breathe Project heralded the EPA’s decision to update NAAQS for fine particles (PM2.5) that will improve overall air quality. The new standard, based on the latest public health science, is an average exposure of 9 ug/m3 over a three-year period.
Click Here for the Breathe Project statement.
NewsClip:
-- TribLive: Parts Of Allegheny County Achieve Air Quality Milestones
[Posted: July 28, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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