Environmental Justice Advisory Board Meeting in Johnstown, PA— August 18 
PA DEP’s Environmental Justice Advisory Board (EJAB) will host its annual traveling meeting on Thursday, August 18 from 1-7pm at the Cambria County Library – 248 Main Street, Johnstown, PA 15901. The traveling meeting offers EJAB members an opportunity to learn about environmental justice issues in various regions of the commonwealth – this year’s focus is on southwestern Pennsylvania.

The meeting is open to the public and will feature presentations from community and non-profit organizations based in southwestern Pennsylvania. Additionally, there will be updates from DEP on the West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The meeting will also include a presentation by Johns Hopkins University representatives on their Chester City Air Quality Study.  For the full meeting agenda, visit the Environmental Justice Advisory Board webpage. 

Join the Meeting Online:  
Use this link to join the WebEx meeting online
Event number: 2632 487 4376
Event password: DMk3s5Bf5Jv

Join the Meeting by Phone: 
Dial (415) 655-0003
Access code: 2632 487 4376

Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill Air Quality Public Meetings to Be Held Virtually and In-Person 

Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill, LLC owns and operates a residual/municipal landfill of the same name located in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County. On July 23, 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) published a draft air quality plan approval to allow the construction and initial temporary operation of a leachate (liquid that leaches or drains from the landfill) evaporation system at Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill. This approval differs from an operating permit because an operating permit is for long-term operation, whereas a plan approval allows for temporary operation. This plan approval allows for the construction and temporary operation of the leachate evaporation system, an air contamination source.

The DEP will hold two public hearings related to the plan approval:

Individuals who wish to observe or present testimony at either hearing are asked to register in advance by contacting Lauren Fraley at lfraley@pa.gov or 412-442-4203. Registration for the hearing will be taken through 4:00 PM the day before each hearing. Testimony will be limited to three minutes for DEP to receive as many comments as possible. Time may not be relinquished or shared, and organizations are asked to designate one speaker on its behalf.

The public comment period is open through September 12, 2022. Written comments on the applications can be e-mailed to RA-EPSWROAIRPERMNOTE@pa.gov or mailed to the DEP’s Southwest Regional Office, Air Quality Program, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 and should contain the name, address, email, and telephone number of the person submitting the comments, identification of the proposed Plan Approval (PA-65-00767C), a short statement, and the relevant facts upon which the comments are based.

OEJ welcomes your suggestions or inquiries about our work, programs and/or policies. We also want to hear your ideas for newsletter topics/stories. Please contact us at RA-EPOEJ@pa.gov, or directly:

Director
Justin Dula
(484) 250-5820
jdula@pa.gov

Western Region
Ngani Ndimbie
(412) 442-4126
nndimbie@pa.gov

Eastern Region
Juan Serrat
(484) 250-5818
jserratgon@pa.gov

OEJ Intern
Claire Kemick
ckemick@pa.gov