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| PM monitor |
Lehigh County has a detailed explanation of the project:
"As warehouse development has expanded in the Valley, it has contributed to an increase in mobile sources of air pollution, particularly from freight-truck traffic. Currently, air quality information in the Valley comes from two monitoring sites located in Freemansburg and East Allentown that are used by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to make sure that the region complies with the federal Clean Air Act. While these sophisticated monitors are capable of measuring a variety of air pollutants that are used to determine the Air Quality Index (AQI), they do not tell us how air pollution is distributed throughout Lehigh Valley.
"The Lehigh Valley Breathes project will distribute and install 40 PurpleAir monitors throughout the valley to measure particulate pollution, which is commonly referred to as “PM2.5” and poses a serious health risk for humans and the environment. These small and inexpensive air monitors can be easily positioned in different locations, providing a highly-localized understanding of air quality that the state’s two centralized air monitors cannot."
"By increasing the locations where PM 2.5 pollution is measured, the data will provide a more accurate understanding of how PM 2.5 is impacting the health of citizens in different parts of the Valley. And because the data provided by the PurpleAir monitors are available 24/7 on an easily accessible and dedicated website, Lehigh Valley residents can check on the air quality in their own neighborhoods."
Over the past year, I've spent several hours looking for this dedicated website, to no avail. The project is only getting under way now because the monitors needed to be calibrated.
The data collected over the next year could be used by municipalities to amend zoning and planning ordinances to make air quality part of a required traffic impact study for proposed warehouses, leading to a possible reduction in size of of truck fleets.
Support for this project was by no means unanimous in Northampton County. Council members John Brown, Tom Giovanni and John Goffredo all voted No.
Goffredo's rationale? "I understand the big, hot topic is warehousing and truck traffic," said Goffredo. "If you're not somebody who relies on that - if you're not a truck driver or operator and you don't work in those warehouses - these might seem like inconveniences to a lot of people.
"A lot of people depend on these jobs. As somebody who does depend on these jobs and has a lot of people work for me who do depend on those jobs, it's getting to a point where we're starting to feel like second class citizens just for driving a diesel truck."
I'll have more about this air quality study after the news conference.
18 comments:
These posts, articles, and statements always ignore diesel exhaust regulations put in place since about 2007 or 2008. Truck maintenance facilities needn't vent exhaust anymore because it's cleaner than the intake air in most cases. The same blind spot exists for those who champion wasteful light rail to NYC over our current bus lines. Environmentalists need to try harder to keep up with current events and technology. Remember, on the first Earth Day, we were battling the doom of a coming Ice Age that was expected to kill us by 1980. Who's wearing their sweater today?
Another waste of taxpayer dollars.
We are trillions in debt because of the thousands of pork barrel projects with no purpose. The study will show our air quality sucks. So what can he done about it? Nothing! It will just tag the valley as a poor place to live and work. And provide health care insurance data to support rate hikes in our area. How does that help us? Oh, it will validate opposition to more warehouses. Big frigging deal. We already hate them for the traffic congestion. This is just another example of virtue signaling at taxpayers expense.
6:18, you are less well informed than you think. Last year, the Senate killed the smog protections put in place. https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2023/04/senate-gop-strikes-down-smog-rules-for.html
7:58, This will enable municipalities to revise zoning and planning to protect us from industries that emit high amounts of particulates. It is not virtue signaling. It will give local government the data needed to require things like air quality impact studies.
While they're busy monitoring the air, why doesn't someone ask Bethlehem why the sewage treatment plant literally dumps raw sewage into the Lehigh River whenever we get a heavy rain...
9:34, That's interesting. Can you tell us how you know this? I know of a family that was inundated with raw sewage when there was a blockage in a pipe last year, but have never heard that Bethlehem dumps raw sewage into the Lehigh. If true, that would certainly be outrageous and would infuriate people like Dr. Holland. https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2023/04/senate-gop-strikes-down-smog-rules-for.html
Bernie - So essentially it will make the Valley even harder to work in and increase govt regulation. Perfect, just what we need.
11:12, I am not talking about onerous government regulation, but protections. That is what I call them when it comes to our health. Also, the right to clean air and water is enshrined in Pennsylvania's constitution. It is not some draconian bureaucratic rule, but a constitutional right.
I understand that you want the economy to prosper and everyone to be employed and think that something as innocuous as an air monitor interferes with this. You would prefer that we out up with substandard air to keep the economy moving. But think about your logic. Based on your reasoning, we should really just remove all of the protections designed to keep us safe and healthy so that the smokestacks can bellow. Eventually, that would mean the elimination of workplace safety rules and child labor laws. That's your logic, and it's flawed.
Of course we want the economy to prosper, but our health and safety should come first, don't you think?
What's the point of a great economy that kills us all and destroys the planet?
Fear of facts and science, the ultimate enemy of America, not the woke, immigrants, or people who cherish democracy. Throw in continued denial of reality, and here we are. Point fingers, but look in the mirror folks, we're all to blame.
Lower Saucon Township's Bethlehem Landfill Meeting that was held this week.
6:18, you are less well informed than you think. Last year, the Senate killed the smog protections put in place. https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2023/04/senate-gop-strikes-down-smog-rules-for.html
Re-read my comment. The exhaust hazard is already gone, as I explained. Perhaps that's why doubling down on next to nothing seemed stupid. Also, what else was in that bill? Could it have been packed with Democrat pork - like every bill in that party's history? I'm more worried about congestion on roads than a pollution boogieman that used to warn of the pending ice age. Can we build a new lane around here? No. We're tilting at environmentalist extremist windmills (pun intended). You have your sweater on today? I want to see you riding in it today.
"Lower Saucon Township's Bethlehem Landfill Meeting that was held this week."
Thank you. And could you tell us who it was that made the statement that Bethlehem's wastewater treatment plant discharges raw sewage into the Lehigh? You don't need to name the person, but just tell us whether he or she claims to have seen it or conducted a story or works there or whether it was just a bald allegation or something this person heard. If tue, it's a serious problem. I'm hoping it's untrue.
Re-read my comment. The exhaust hazard is already gone, as I explained."
I re-read your comment. You specifically refer to "diesel exhaust regulations put in place since about 2007 or 2008." And as I point out, those protections have been killed by Congress.
You do make the additional point that diesel exhaust is now cleaner than intake air. I agree the industry has made changes that drastically reduce pollution caused by light trucks. Whether that continues is problematic bc the protections put in place have been removed. Also, there are still many trucks on the road that have made no changes at all.
I consider this a very worthwhile effort and might collect better data than the two mintors in place next to industries that no longer exist.
John Goffredo voted against a health center for County employees some of whom need breathing treatments due to the smog he's not concerned about.
Does he know cases of childhood asthma have skyrocketed in recent years? That's terrible both for the child's health and for the family's wallet as they have to pay additional medical costs to address lung problems.
"You have your sweater on today? I want to see you riding in it today."
Much as I'd like to shame you all for destroying the planet, I ride mostly because I like it and need the exercise. And I am incapable of riding in colder weather. I also like to take the bus when I can, not to save the planet, but to save money. I ride for free bc I am a senior.
try
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-upholds-biden-veto-bill-overturning-epa-rule-heavy-truck-emissions-2023-06-21/
"the rule will result in up to 2,900 fewer premature deaths annually, 1.1 million fewer lost school days for children and $29 billion in annual net benefits.
Of course their is still the legal challenges.
Dollars usually wins over lives.
Monitoring air quality gives you better info to base decisions on.
Ignoring a potential problem does not make it go away
6.18
" Remember, on the first Earth Day, we were battling the doom of a coming Ice Age that was expected to kill us by 1980."
a story hyped by the media not an actual consensus by the majority of climate scientists at the time.
try
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/89/9/2008bams2370_1.xml
or
https://skepticalscience.com/ice-age-predictions-in-1970s.htm
Speaking of bad air, a person from West Easton has floated some over to Lehigh County on a community Neighborhood FB page. I support a bi-county effort to monitor air quality to better understand how we can improve quality of life . Bad air apparently knows no borders.
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