Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and a Green Economy

The average Allegheny County resident is exposed to more cancer-causing air pollutants than 86% of residents in the rest of the United States. The county is taking the steps listed below to deepen its work to support communities impacted by pollution, support workers to access good, green jobs, and grow and attract businesses that work towards cleaner air, water, and energy. 

Initiatives

  • Not Started Yet 13% 13%
  • In Progress 75% 75%
  • Completed 13% 13%
Community Priorities

Members of the Allegheny County community value:

    • Supporting workers in accessing jobs that make air, energy, and water cleaner

    • Attracting new businesses to the county that will employ residents

    • Locally producing green-focused products like solar panels or electric vehicles that could make environment cleaner

    • Addressing the needs of communities most impacted by pollution

See the 8 initiatives expanding Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and a Green Economy

6 Month Action Items

1 year action items

3 Year Action Items

Widespread Job Training Programs
Certified Small Businesses
Make existing job training programs more accessible to residents by removing barriers to participation

Allegheny County is committed to making it easier and less expensive to participate in training and certification programs for jobs that support green construction, energy efficiency, and clean renewable energy. 

The Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) will partner with businesses to expand paid internship experiences and scholarships, making it financially easier for students to take advantage of job training programs. 

CCAC will partner with Partner4Work to continue securing job placements for students after they complete training, which will help students see a return on their investment after participating in job training programs.

In Progress

To improve accessibility to job training programs, Partner4Work is integrating EARN/WR/SNAP with WIOA services. This initiative aims to streamline service delivery and provide comprehensive resources in one location. Partner4Work is also advocating for the alignment of state policies with federal guidance to remove barriers to program participation for job seekers.

The Department of Children Initiatives (DCI) is seeking federal funds to increase childcare and out-of-school time (OST) programming for families with young children transitioning to the workforce, and has funded Trying Together to engage residents interested in entering the childcare field through credential programs.

Make it easier for small and local businesses to get certified with the County

By regularly sharing information on certification guidelines and other important information for small businesses over the county’s outreach platforms and social media, Allegheny County will make it easier for small and local businesses to get certified.

In Progress

In April of 2024, Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) hosted a contract event that attracted approximately one hundred small businesses, many of them minority-owned. These businesses learned how to use Bonfire for contracting and how to become MWV certified through the county.  ACED will hold another event in 2025.

Additionally, ACED will identify a plan for targeted outreach to entrepreneurs and small businesses for certification based on feedback collected in 2025.

Hire a Director of the Health Department
Director of Climate Resilience and Jobs
CCAC Green Job Training
Green Equipment Procurement
Conduct a robust national search for the next Director of the Health Department who will activate the department’s powers to address pollution

A new director will activate all of the department’s powers to address pollution such as drawing down decarbonization funding and democratizing the Clean Air Fund by opening it up to a more inclusive and transparent process.

  Completed

In June of 2024, the Allegheny County Board of Health approved Dr. Iulia Vann to be the Director of the Allegheny County Health Department.

Learn More
Create a new Director of Climate Resilience and Jobs position in the County Executive’s office

This position will be dedicated to working within and outside of county government to deliver on the Innamorato Administration’s commitment to support a clean and healthy environment and create high-quality green jobs to meet these goals.

In Progress

The Innamorato Administration has hired Allegheny County’s first Sustainability Director. As the Department of Sustainability moves forward with the county’s first Climate Action Plan, as well as other initiatives and goals, the Director of Climate Resilience and Jobs continues to be evaluated. The position is posted.

Expand Community College of Allegheny County’s (CCAC) existing green job training programs and updating programs to incorporate green technology

Expand opportunities for youth and students to gain skills that could help access jobs that make our air, energy, and water cleaner.” For example, students in the automotive training program now receive training on the safety, maintenance, and repair of electric vehicles, and students learning about facilities maintenance now receive training on ways to improve energy efficiency in buildings.

Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) will partner with organizations, including the Green Building Alliance, to expand existing programs and deliver training at a central location so it is more accessible to students countywide. CCAC’s green job training programs have connected students to more than 150 jobs. Over the next year, CCAC will expand this program to serve another 30-50 students and make the training available at two additional campuses, including West Hills Center and Allegheny Campus, utilizing the new Center for Education, Innovation, and Training.

CCAC will invite employers in the green economy as Advisory Board members, helping to shape their training programs so they offer pathways into jobs that make our air, energy, and water cleaner.

In Progress

CCAC is currently investigating the development of a clean energy training program to meet employer demand. Throughout this investigation, CCAC’s Workforce Development is offering NABCEP certification training for Solar Photovoltaic Technicians and Lead Abatement training. In addition, they currently work with Eos Energy Enterprises to offer an Industrial Maintenance Technician and a Mechatronics apprenticeship.

Implement a new strategy to help local green businesses grow by prioritizing local businesses in County equipment purchases

The county has purchased over $1,000,000.00 in solar design and procurement, $750,000.00 in solar installation, and energy-efficient electric work, among others, from local contractors over the past five years.

In Progress

A new strategy is being implemented to prioritize local green businesses in county equipment purchases. This involves setting up a new tracking process to monitor spending information based on business zip code. The intention is to encourage more local business participation, potentially through support from the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development (ACED). The goal is to track local spending and separate it by type of product to identify local businesses considered “green.”

Regulating Land Use
Pollution Solutions
Support municipalities to regulate land use to keep polluting facilities away from environmental justice communities

The county will work with municipalities and entities including Councils of Governments, the Local Government Academy, and the Allegheny League of Municipalities (ALOM), to review their land use regulations and share model ordinances to site polluting facilities away from community facilities.

In Progress

The preliminary work on the update to Allegheny Places, the Allegheny County comprehensive plan, identified “housing affordability” and “air quality” as priority issues. The plan will explore the causes of these issues and develop recommended policy actions for the county and its partners, including best practices in modern zoning. The planning work is set to continue through 2026, with comprehensive plan and zoning recommendations to be introduced by 2028.

Make information about the County’s work to address pollution more easily accessible

Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Air Quality team is creating an accessible, digital platform to share regulatory information about regulated facilities.

The county will also:

    • Provide information about regulated facilities and associated pollutants
      more searchable and user-friendly on the website
    • Use communications platforms, such as county social media, to share regular updates with the public about the county’s work to address pollution
    • Leverage partnerships with dozens of community organizations that helped to shape the Plan for a Healthier Allegheny
Not Started

After receiving data from ACHD, CountyStat and the Office of Marketing and Special Events can collaborate with stakeholders to create a dashboard. The Air Quality team actively updates web content, expanding available data and dashboards, and implementing a Regulated Entities Portal (REP). The REP is a new system for permitting, enforcement, and data management.