Group Against Smog and Pollution

The Group Against Smog and Pollution works to improve air quality to ensure human, environmental, and economic health.

We use a broad range of tactics to reduce air pollution, including advocacy, education, and litigation.
We review and comment on air permits for sources of pollution such as steel mills and natural gas compressor stations. Our comments often lead to air pollution reductions and on occasion, we appeal permits if they are not adequately protecting public health.
We work to reduce diesel pollution and have achieved multiple victories, from passing "Clean Construction" legislation in Pittsburgh City Council, to finding funding for small contractors wanting to upgrade their pollution control technology, to working with large institutions like UPMC and Chatham University to have them adopt policies that green their construction equipment. We have also partnered with Pittsburgh Public Schools, to both reduce illegal idling on school grounds and to ensure the school bus fleet is using buses with current pollution controls.
Our EPA School Flag Program trains students on receiving and understanding daily air pollution forecasts. The students then raise on their schoolgrounds a colored flag that corresponds to that day's forecast. GASP staff also provides air quality lessons to students.
GASP also trains "Smoke Readers" to observe smoke stacks and make reports on emissions. The training is the same received by government regulators and industry workers themselves. Our observations can lead to more thorough check-ins from inspectors and lets the industries know that they are being monitored and held accountable to air pollution regulations.
Our Bicycle Air Monitoring program puts particle pollution counters on the fronts of bicycles. Our volunteers then bicycle either on routes of their own choosing or on specific streets for targeted studies. The collected data helps people who are active outside identify pollution hotspots to potentially avoid and inspires participants to realize that they can understand air pollution and contribute to its reduction.
GASP has many more programs to reduce air pollution in Southwestern Pennsylvania! Please visit our web site to learn more.