Clean Air Fund

Pittsburgh skyline

The Clean Air Fund derives its funds entirely from penalties collected by the Air Quality Program and contains no county tax dollars. The Allegheny County Health Department administers the Clean Air Fund to support activities and projects that:

  • Improve air quality within Allegheny County by reducing, eliminating or preventing the creation of air pollution
  • Broaden understanding of air quality effects through health studies concerning air pollution
  • Educate the public on issues concerning air pollution
  • Provide special purpose ambient air monitoring
  • Lend their special expertise to the county (when requested) by providing consulting services or research and develop pollution-control technologies
  • Complete any other project consistent with the provisions of Article XXI(PDF, 2MB) and the mission of the Board of Health

Importantly, the Clean Air Funds cannot be used by regulated entities as a means of meeting air quality regulations.

To request support from the Clean Air Fund, please reach out to the Air Quality program using Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee contact form.

The next round of Clean Air Fund grant applications will open later in 2026!

2024 Clean Air Fund Projects

Project Organization Grant Amount Description Status

Climate Resilience

Borough of Etna

$500,000

Funding to assist the installation of solar panels at their new municipal office building

Project is ongoing through 2029

Climate Resilience

Sharpsburg Borough

$1,000,000

Funding to install a solar panel and battery storage system to offset the borough building's electrical usage and to provide backup power in the event of outages

Project is ongoing through 2027

 

Sharpsburg Borough has ordered solar panels

 

Clean Air Stories Update(PDF, 345KB)

Climate Resilience

West Mifflin Borough

$997,450

Funding to install a 1 MWh battery storage system as part of a multi-municipality effort to install solar and battery storage systems at municipal buildings in Allegheny County

Project is ongoing through 2026

Municipal Fleet Electrification

Munhall Borough

$186,789

Support the replacement of three diesel refuse trucks with electric models and charging infrastructure

Project is ongoing through 2026

 

Munhall Borough’s charging station installation is 50% complete

Municipal Fleet Electrification

Borough of Swissvale

$800,000

Replace a diesel-powered street sweeper with an electric model

Project is ongoing through 2027

 

Borough of Swissvale has ordered the street sweeper

Municipal Equipment Electrification

The Boroughs of Braddock, North Braddock, Rankin, and East Pittsburgh

$75,000

Replace four gas-powered pieces of municipal lawn equipment with electric models for the boroughs of Braddock, East Pittsburgh, North Braddock, and Rankin

Project is ongoing through 2026

Municipal Equipment Electrification

Borough of Pitcairn

$43,272

Replace 20 gas-powered pieces of municipal lawn equipment with electric models

Project completed in 2025

 

Borough of Pitcairn replaced 21 pieces of gas-powered equipment

Municipal Equipment Electrification

Borough of Brackenridge

$23,094

Replace 11 gas-powered pieces of municipal lawn equipment with electric models

Project completed in 2025

 

Borough of Brackenridge replaced 11 gas-powered pieces of municipal lawn equipment

Tree Canopy Expansion

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

$50,000

Plant and maintain 45 trees in Monongahela Valley communities

Project is ongoing through 2030

 

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has planted 96 trees and engaged 90 volunteers

Tree Canopy Expansion

Wilkinsburg Shade Tree Commission

$50,000

Plant and maintain 50 trees in Wilkinsburg

Project is ongoing through 2026

 

Wilkinsburg Shade Tree Commission is drafting tree inventory and management plan

 

2023 Clean Air Fund Projects

Project Organization Grant Amount Description Status

Fleet Electrification

West Mifflin Borough

$748,339

Decommission diesel refuse hauler and replace with electric garbage packer and installation of electric charging station

Project is ongoing through 2028

 

West Mifflin Borough’s charging station is being installed and the new electric vehicle has been ordered

One Tree Per Child

Tree Pittsburgh

$46,000

Plant 75 trees on school grounds, community parks, and right of ways within the Woodland Hills School District

Project is ongoing through 2028

 

Tree Pittsburgh has planted 31 out of 75 trees

One Tree Per Child

Tree Pittsburgh

$46,000

Plant 75 trees on school grounds, community parks, and right of ways within Steel Valley School District

Project is ongoing through 2028

 

Tree Pittsburgh has planted 19 out of 75 trees

Mon Valley Municipalities Fleet Electrification

Borough of Swissvale

$700,000

Replace two diesel-powered garbage trucks and purchase of two equivalent electric garbage truck and installation of electric vehicle charging station

Project is ongoing through 2028

Mon Valley Municipalities Fleet Electrification

Steel Rivers Council of Governments

$750,000

Replace diesel powered street sweeper and purchase of an equivalent electric street sweeper and installation of electric vehicle charging station

Project completed

 

The Steel Rivers Council of Governments’ new electric street sweeper went into service in 2025

Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition

Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania

$9,000

Three years of annual funding to support the Carnegie Science Center's Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition

Project is completed

 

Allegheny County Health Department provided funding for 2024, 2025, and 2026

Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair

$15,000

Three years of annual funding to support the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Project is completed

 

Allegheny County Health Department provided funding for 2024, 2025, and 2026

 

2021 Clean Air Fund Projects

Project Organization Grant Amount Description Status

Research Review

Ramboll US Consulting Inc

$69,956

H2S Analysis in Allegheny County with a focus on the Mon Valley

Project completed in 2022

 

Third party analysis was done on H2S data and research

Air Quality Forecasting Program for the Mon Valley

Georgia Tech Research Corporation's Institute of Technology

$9,941

Develop an air quality forecasting program for the Mon Valley Episode Rule

Project completed in 2021

 

An air quality forecasting program was created for the Mon Valley Episode Rule

Air Ambassador Program

Various

$9,999 per grantee

 

Total grant of $200,000

Nine organizations each work on individual projects to educate municipalities in the Mon Valley about air quality and get residents to sign up for Allegheny Alerts

Project completed in 2022

 

About 740 residents signed up for Allegheny Alerts in the Mon Valley

 

 

2020 Clean Air Fund Projects

Project Organization Grant Amount Description Status

Regulated Entities Portal

enfoTech & Consulting Inc.

$548,725

Online portal to be created for air quality permitting and enforcement software

Project completed in 2024

 

The Regulated Entities Portal (REP) is currently in use

Equipment for Air Toxics and H2S Studies

Allegheny County Health Department

$340,554

Purchase equipment and provide lab analysis for a study of Mon Valley odor and air toxics emissions.

Project is ongoing

 

Air Quality monitoring testing equipment has been purchased to support studies

Air Quality Alerts and Education

Southwest PA Air Quality Partnership

$75,000

Provide guidelines for individual actions to reduce exposure to pollution, provide alerts on high pollution days, and ozone and particulate forecasting for three years

Project completed in 2023

 

Support was provided for public outreach

Clean Air and Environmental Health Fund Contract Administrator Position

Allegheny County Health Department

$55,000

Hire a Clean Air and Environmental Health Fund Contract Administrator last year to help develop new processes and outreach strategies

Project completed in 2020

 

Allegheny County Health Department hired an administrator to help develop new processes and strategies

Professional and Technical Support

Allegheny County Health Department

$500,000

Professional and technical support as needed for case analysis, technical expertise, legal support, and medical and toxicological consulting

Project completed in 2023

 

Provided support for various studies and program needs

Tree Planting

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

$98,000

Plant and maintain 75 trees

Project completed in 2021

 

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy planted 172 trees

Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair

$15,000

Annual funding for three years

Project completed in 2022

 

Allegheny County Health Department provided three years of annual funding

One Tree Per Child

Tree Pittsburgh

$99,995

Engage over 1000 students from 20 different schools in the Mon Valley over 2 years. Plant 1250 trees with customized tree care plan for each school

Project completed in 2025

 

Tree Pittsburgh planted 1,336 trees in the Mon Valley