Pittsburgh councilman wants tougher environmental standards
City Councilman Bill Peduto plans to introduce today legislation requiring publicly funded developments to meet more stringent environmental standards to help improve the city's air and water.
The measures would mandate that developers who take city subsidies reduce storm water runoff and would require construction vehicles at these sites to reduce diesel emissions by retrofitting the equipment or using newer ones.
"We have a gift in our natural resources, but we have a real problem with how they've been managed for years," Peduto said in a written statement. "We have to make sure when we fund development that it is responsible development that helps, not hurts, our air and water."
Rob Stephany, executive director of the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority, said he hasn't had a chance to review the bills, but has heard from one trade union angered with the diesel emissions component.
"They're upset because ... essentially they'd have to buy the equipment" at substantial costs, Stephany said.
The Allegheny County Health Department issues alerts during the May-to-September boating season when sewers are in danger of overflowing and potentially sending raw sewage downstream. The county has sent alerts 52 percent of the days during those months over the last 10 years, said health department spokesman Guillermo Cole.
"If you're able to reduce emissions, you can to an extent improve air quality," Cole said. "With storm water management, if you reduce the amount and better control it, that can help to reduce sewer overflows."
Pittsburgh has annually been ranked among the nation's worst cities for air quality. The American Lung Association, the U.S. Department of Health and Men's Health magazine have all ranked Pittsburgh at or near the bottom in annual studies over the past decade.
Tom Hoffman, Western Pennsylvania Director for Clean Water Action, said clean air and water are things that make people want to move to Pittsburgh. An analysis of 2009 population estimates by the Census Bureau earlier this month showed that more people moved into the Pittsburgh metro area than moved away last year — the first time that happened since 1991.
"If the air is terrible and the water is polluted, they're not going to stay," Hoffman said. "This legislation shows that Pittsburgh is taking very seriously the idea of improving air and water."<!--Session data-->
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The measures would mandate that developers who take city subsidies reduce storm water runoff and would require construction vehicles at these sites to reduce diesel emissions by retrofitting the equipment or using newer ones.
"We have a gift in our natural resources, but we have a real problem with how they've been managed for years," Peduto said in a written statement. "We have to make sure when we fund development that it is responsible development that helps, not hurts, our air and water."
Rob Stephany, executive director of the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority, said he hasn't had a chance to review the bills, but has heard from one trade union angered with the diesel emissions component.
"They're upset because ... essentially they'd have to buy the equipment" at substantial costs, Stephany said.
The Allegheny County Health Department issues alerts during the May-to-September boating season when sewers are in danger of overflowing and potentially sending raw sewage downstream. The county has sent alerts 52 percent of the days during those months over the last 10 years, said health department spokesman Guillermo Cole.
"If you're able to reduce emissions, you can to an extent improve air quality," Cole said. "With storm water management, if you reduce the amount and better control it, that can help to reduce sewer overflows."
Pittsburgh has annually been ranked among the nation's worst cities for air quality. The American Lung Association, the U.S. Department of Health and Men's Health magazine have all ranked Pittsburgh at or near the bottom in annual studies over the past decade.
Tom Hoffman, Western Pennsylvania Director for Clean Water Action, said clean air and water are things that make people want to move to Pittsburgh. An analysis of 2009 population estimates by the Census Bureau earlier this month showed that more people moved into the Pittsburgh metro area than moved away last year — the first time that happened since 1991.
"If the air is terrible and the water is polluted, they're not going to stay," Hoffman said. "This legislation shows that Pittsburgh is taking very seriously the idea of improving air and water."<!--Session data-->