Team 4: Health Dept. Air-Quality Program In Jeopardy

POSTED: 4:22 pm EST February 20, 2008
UPDATED: 5:55 pm EST February 20, 2008

Four local green groups have called on Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato to make a public commitment to keep the Health Department's air quality program rather than turn things over to the state, which Onorato is considering.

All of this comes after a Team 4 investigation showed just how important the issue is.

Team 4's initial report showed that Allegheny County residents who are dying at the highest rates for heart disease, stroke, lung and breast cancer also happen to live close to major sources of industrial pollution, typically river towns.

Today, environmental groups said it's time for the county to invest more in the Air Quality Program, not pull the plug on it.

Allegheny County is one of only two Pennsylvania counties overseeing its own air quality. But that might soon change as Onorato studies whether to turn the program over to the state.

"This has been going on for months," said Rachel Filippini of the Group Against Smog and Pollution. "This sort of looming. We might give it to the state. Might keep it local. It's sort of keeping the Air Quality Program hostage in a way."

The Group Against Smog and Pollution, along with three other local green groups accused Onorato on Wednesday of playing politics with the program by appointing county manager Jim Flynn to the Board of Health and allowing him to engineer an administrative reshuffling.

"Onorato's large role in the governing of the Health Department leads us to question whether the Board of Health is even involved in decision-making anymore," said Kathy Lawson of Clean Water Action.

Onorato admits he is taking an active role.

"We're basically blowing up the system and re-looking at it," he said. "That probably hasn't been done in 20 years. Maybe it's time that somebody does come in. Jim Flynn is the county manager. He's my administration, and we're looking at this. I'm not saying we're giving this to the state, but what I am saying is that what we're doing now does not work properly."

The debate over whether Allegheny County's air quality is best regulated locally or in Harrisburg is a question Team 4 put to one of the nation's leading experts on the effect of industrial pollution on human health.

"Whether the state can take over this burden and do a better job of it, I would hope they could, but we just don't know," said Dr. Devra Davis of UPMC Environ Oncology. "But what I do know is this: The Allegheny County Health Department is overworked and under-funded right now. And it's not likely to get better."

Onorato said on Wednesday that he would make a final decision about the Air Quality Program in the next six to eight weeks. He also repeated his vow to meet with environmental groups to hear their concerns. But those groups said they also want public hearings.

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