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Advocates urge Allegheny County Council to fund ACHD air program; students, nonprofits press for permit-fee increase
Summary
Multiple speakers — students and environmental groups — urged Allegheny County Council to approve an ordinance to raise air permit fees to fully fund the Allegheny County Health Department's air quality program. Speakers said the program faces a budget shortfall and argued permit-fee increases should fall on polluters, not taxpayers.
Several community members and student organizers urged Allegheny County Council to move forward with a proposed increase to air-permit fees to shore up funding for the Allegheny County Health Department's (ACHD) air quality program.
Natalie Davidson, speaking for PennFuture, said the ACHD faces a roughly $1.8 million budget shortfall and that the department lacks the staffing and resources to operate the complex air-permit program without fee increases. "These permits are not punitive, but instead simply cover the cost necessary for the department to properly…
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