4-9-24 Upcoming VCAN Street Actions and Public Meetings

Valley Clean Air Now Steering Committee Member Germaine Gooden-Patterson speaks to Allegheny County Health Department Public Meeting May, 2023 on Clairton Coke Works Title V permit.

Community and Air Quality Environmental Justice groups/advocates gather in front of the US Steel Building on Grant Street, this Friday 4-12 during U.S. Steel Stockholder Meeting of Stockholders to request a People's Vote for a healthier future in the Mon Valley.

A gathering of Community and Environmental Justice groups and advocates will gather in front of the US Steel Building, 600 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, on April 12. The rally will coincide with the U.S. Steel Special Meeting of Stockholders to request a People's Vote for a healthier future in the Mon Valley.

The Rally Will Take Place Friday, April 12, from Noon to 2 PM on Grant and 6th Streets in front of the US Steel Building. Mon Valley residents and Environmental Justice advocates demand a seat at the table, #ProtectOurHealth, and a leadership commitment to a future that builds healthier communities in the Mon Valley that ensure clean air and water. 

Mon Valley residents and groups will speak throughout the hour of their wish to ensure that any vote of company shareholders hears the voice of impacted communities and stops the ongoing legacy of pollution and harm they have suffered.

To be clear, these advocates do not express a viewpoint on the sale itself. They do accept that a diversity of views may be shared on the sale of USS by workers and union members who may be present. 

They are expressing a concern and need to have their voices heard and addressed as part of a sale process that will majorly impact the communities where U.S. Steel facilities exist in the Mon Valley. A press release will be issued on the morning of April 12.

First VCAN Walking Tour of Clairton Coke Works with members of First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh and Tree Pittsburgh April, 2023.

Public hearing in Elizabeth on the draft Title V federal air permit for the Synthomer (formerly Eastman) chemical plant in West Elizabeth Borough 4-18 at 6 pm.

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has scheduled a public hearing on Thursday, April 18 to discuss the draft Title V federal air permit for the Synthomer (formerly Eastman) chemical plant. This public hearing is a rare opportunity for local voices to be heard. We are hoping to generate lots of interest in attending and participating during the hearing. The meeting will be held at the Elizabeth Event Center, 101 South 1st Avenue, Elizabeth, PA 15037.

Local residents are able to present written comments or oral testimony. Following paragraphs were written by the Allegheny County Health Department:

ALLEGHENY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT.The ACHD is seeking comments on the following draft permits. Members of the public may request copies of the documents by

emailing aqpermits@alleghenycounty.us or calling 412‐578‐8115. Written comments may be submitted to the Department at 836 Fulton Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 or by e‐mail at aqpermits@alleghenycounty.us by the end of the day on Thursday, April 18, 2024.

A public hearing will be held regarding the proposed issuance of these permits on Thursday April 18, 2024, at 6 pm at the Elizabeth Event Center, 101 South 1st Avenue, Elizabeth, PA 15037. Anyone who would like to speak at the hearing should register online at

least 24 hours in advance of the hearing on the Department’s permits webpage at https://alleghenycounty.us/AQnotices. If no one is registered to give testimony at the hearing by Monday, April 15, 2024, the hearing will be canceled. If the hearing is canceled, the

Department will provide public notice on the webpage or through the contact information listed above. When making comments on previously issued installation or operating permits being modified, please consider the modified language only. 

INTENT TO ISSUE MAJOR SOURCE (TITLE V) PERMITS

Under Article XXI, §2103.11.e. and §2103.21.c, notice is hereby given that the Allegheny County Health Department intends to issue a Title V Operating Permit to the following major facilities subject to the operating permit requirements under Title V of the Federal

Clean Air Act and Article XXI, Part C, Subparts 1 and 2. The Administrator of the EPA is being notified of this proposed action.

SYNTHOMER JEFFERSON HILLS (0058‐OP24), 2200 State Hwy. 837 PO Box 545 West Elizabeth, PA 15088, for the manufacture of hydrocarbon resins and dispersions used primarily in hot melt adhesives, rubber and plastic compounding, coatings, sealants, and

plastic modification. The resins are produced from C5 feedstock, monomers, solvents, and catalysts by way of cationic polymerization.

Resins produced include aliphatic, aliphatic/aromatic, aromatic, and liquids resins. Eastman Chemical Resins, Inc. acquired the Jefferson Site from Hercules, Inc. in 2001, and Synthomer acquired this facility from Eastman on April 1, 2022.

The proposed Title V operating permit contains all applicable regulatory requirements including monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting conditions. The permit includes requirements from 40 CFR Part 61, Subpart FF – Benzene Waste Operations, Part 63, Subpart FFFF ‐ Hazardous Air Pollutants: Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing (MON); Part 63, Subpart SS ‐ Closed Vent Systems, Control Devices, Recovery Devices, and Routing to a fuel gas system or a process; Part 63, Subpart UU ‐ National Emission Standard for Equipment Leaks; and Part 63, Subpart DDDDD – National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters. The facility is a major source of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and a minor source of particulate matter (PM), particulate matter less than 10 μm in diameter (PM10), particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), oxides of nitrogen (NOX), oxides of sulfur (SOX), and carbon monoxide (CO)

as defined in Article XXI, §2101.20.

The facility is also a minor source of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) as defined in the U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule."

The hearing is scheduled for April 18th 6:00 pm at the Elizabeth Event Center, 101 South 1st Avenue, Elizabeth, PA 15037 

VCAN Steering Committee member Art Thomas presenting his comments to ACHD at May, 2023 Title V Permit hearing for Clairton Coke Works.

Tom Bailey VCAN Secretary 4-9-24