Up to a million dollars in federal funding will be coming to the Lehigh Valley to help develop a plan to fight climate change.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently announced the grant awards, which are part of the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, along with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, will each receive grants of up to $1 million to help develop climate action plans.

DEP Acting Secretary Rich Negrin called climate change an “existential threat” to safety, security and quality of life in Pennsylvania, and he said tackling the issue must involve cooperation from all levels of government.

“All climate change is local,” Negrin said, “and it’s here right now. It’s here today.”

Negrin spoke about the ongoing impacts of the climate crisis, from flooding and tornadoes to wildfires, which he said have been exacerbated by recent chemical releases and spills. He said the crisis will disproportionately affect the state’s most vulnerable populations first, and that these events are costly.

“According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, extreme weather and climate disasters cost the United States approximately $1.65 billion just last year,” he explained.

To take a step in tackling the crisis, Negrin said the state recently opted into the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.

He said Pennsylvania is posed to receive $3 million, made available through the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

Negrin noted that the three planning organizations also applied to the program, adding up to $3 million more on top of the state’s money. And, he said the program makes state and local entities eligible for other grants from a major funding pool.

“Through this investment, and this is a significant part, Pennsylvania will be creating a priority climate action plan that will make us eligible to apply for a pool of approximately $4.6 billion in funding that is meant to implement projects and activities that we will outline in the priority climate action plan,” Negin said.

“I’m going to say that again, because I don’t get to say that number so often, $4.6 billion that can be utilized and brought back here to Pennsylvania to develop and fight climate change.”

Becky Bradley, Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, said the LVPC has been working for over 60 years to improve air quality, mitigate hazards associated with weather events, and plan for “optimal environmental management and protection.”

“Due to the prioritization of air, water, and land protection by our counties, Lehigh and Northampton, the state and now our federal partners, these new opportunities that have presented themselves are going to help us advance some of the critical things that we need to do,” Bradley said.

She said the planning commission has been conducting public opinion polls for decades, many of which are returning the same feedback.

“And literally for the past 40 years, all of those public opinion polls have prioritized the environment as well as jobs and the economy in the Lehigh Valley.”

Bradley said the Valley has the fastest growing manufacturing economy in the United States, adding more than 22 million square feet of industrial space in less than six years.

However, she said the effects of this booming industrial economy must be balanced with the “public directive” to protect air, water, and land.

“That means our 16 watersheds, that means our vulnerable populations, and this provides us a new opportunity to do that,” she said.

Bradley said the additional federal funding will allow for the creation of new stormwater management ordinances for all 62 municipalities in the Lehigh Valley, providing a regionwide green infrastructure program.

The money will also be used to support regional electric and alternative fuel strategies, smart transportation corridors, permanent air quality monitors, improving walking, biking, and ADA accessibility, and increased investment in LANTA – the local transit authority – to deploy a bus rapid transit system.

Bradley concluded by thanking federal agencies and officials, “for supporting this effort and allowing our region in the Lehigh Valley to actually achieve some of the things that we could only have dreamed of, and balance again jobs, the economy, and the environment for everyone.”

Read the full story at wdiy.org

Fayette County Commissioner Vincent Vicites put the county on display Monday by hosting the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission meeting at the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council office.

Vicites serves as SPC secretary-treasurer.

The organization has moved recent meetings while its Pittsburgh Strip District offices are undergoing renovations.

“This is the first time in history that a meeting has been held here with public parties,” Vicites said.

He said officials from Butler, Armstrong, Washington, Allegheny and Greene counties attended the session.

More than 40 people attended the 75-minute session, including several members via internet.

The Fay-Penn site in Lemont Furnace provided video technical applications.

Joseph Ambrose of Republic Food Enterprises said his company’s affiliations with farms of all sizes creates second-source revenue for value-added products in southwestern Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia and Maryland.

Ambrose catered the event.

Laura Kurtz Kuhns, Fay-Penn executive director, discussed such Fayette County attractions as the Joseph Hardy Connellsville Airport, Fort Necessity and Fallingwater.

She said Fallingwater has been named among the nation’s most loved attractions. The house near Mill Run was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and is considered to be his residential masterpiece.

Dom D’Andrea, director of transportation planning for the region’s long-range plan, outlined topics discussed in recent weeks during Fayette County commissioners’ meetings.

He said the planning sequence that runs through 2025 is reviewed every four years.

SPC members unanimously endorsed highway bridge investments, new transit investments and air quality conformity determination.

Major attention through investments will be given to Interstate highways 79, 70 and 376. In the long term, roughly $2.2 billion is expected for highway improvements.

A Vision Zero Plan will be implemented for Allegheny County, with a goal of achieving zero deaths or serious injuries from motor vehicle accidents.

Allegheny County has had more than half of the serious accidents in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

A Competitive Economy Infrastructure and Technology for Sustainable and Resilient Communities program is expected to focus on workforce assistance in areas of need.

View the full article at dailycourier.com

Bike Share Pittsburgh, the nonprofit operator of POGOH bikeshare, is installing 22 new POGOH stations through July and is launching 154 new e-assist bikes and 66 pedal bikes into their fleet.

In addition to creating more connections within the current network, the new stations will connect several new neighborhoods, including Hazelwood, Larimer, Garfield, Upper Lawrenceville, Allegheny Center and Central Northside.

The growth of the bikeshare network is made possible by a Federal Highway Administration grant for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ). The grant request was supported locally by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the City of Pittsburgh.

“Because POGOH riders need to both rent and return their bikes at one of our stations, we need a lot of stations to make the system convenient. This expansion is focused on increasing the convenience of our network, and better connecting more neighborhoods to bikeshare,” said David White, executive director of Bike Share Pittsburgh, in a press release. “This twenty-two station expansion is a meaningful step towards our vision to have POGOH stations in every neighborhood in the City and eventually extend to many inner ring municipalities.”

The new station locations have received approval from city council and permits from the City of Pittsburgh.

For more information about Bike Share Pittsburgh and the 2023 station expansion, visit pogoh.com.

View the full story at wpxi.com

In a surprise to officials, the county now is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area just got a little bigger.

Lawrence County, which includes the city of New Castle, recently was added to the MSA, joining Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Lawrence, about an hour north of Pittsburgh, is west of Butler County and north of Beaver County along the Ohio border. Its addition to the Pittsburgh MSA — the first since Armstrong County was brought in two decades ago — increases the area’s population by more than 85,000 residents.

The designation matters.

Some federal programs, such as community development block grants and climate reduction pollution funding, involve allocations by MSAs. In addition, some businesses may focus on metropolitan statistical areas when they decide where to locate or expand.

Just how the decision was made? That’s not so clear.

The move to add Lawrence was done by the White House Office of Management and Budget. The office didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Nor has anyone from OMB contacted the county, according to Dan Vogler, chair of the Lawrence County commission.

“We have not been given any official notification,” Mr. Vogler said. “It’s obvious they’ve done it but we have not received anything.”

The U.S. Census Bureau says counties are added to MSAs because of new commuting or urban population data. There were 387 metropolitan statistical areas across the country as of July.

Lawrence County has attracted some people who work in Downtown Pittsburgh, the North Hills or southern Butler County, attracted by lower housing costs and an easy commute via three interstate highways, Mr. Vogler said.

“We do have people who live here and commute,” he said. “On some of the back roads, there have been a lot of nice new homes built over the last couple of decades. I don’t know where those people work but my assumption is some people move out here to get away from the congestion and get a bigger house for less money.”

Lawrence County already is linked to Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, through its inclusion in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a metropolitan planning organization that helps direct how state and federal transportation and development funds sent to the region are spent.

But the county also is part of the Northwest Commission, which focuses on economic development in Lawrence and eight counties in the northwestern part of the state. Mr. Vogler chairs the commission.

He said county officials welcome the new designation, saying it could help attract new businesses such as factories or warehouses.

“We view it as very positive for Lawrence County and for the future,” he said. “One of the potential positive benefits is, when developers and site selectors are looking at potential areas in which to locate, my assumption is in some cases, they may only look to locate within an MSA. If that is the case, by adding us to the Pittsburgh MSA, that enhances our opportunity for potential new development.”

View the full story at post-gazette.com

Artificial intelligence is making a big change in traffic counting and classification.

After state, regional and local agencies spent years counting traffic using rubber hoses and classifying the types of vehicles by hand, electronic camera and computerized systems have made the chore easier, safer and more effective, officials say.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission recently purchased four of the iTHEIA traffic-counting systems from International Road Dynamics, one of several vendors. After waiting for several months due to supply-chain issues, the commission deployed the systems — automatic cameras linked to a central computer — at six locations last month as a test run for using them regularly next year.

“We were able to get them out before the time expired for the year,” said Cort McCombs, manager of traffic counting for the SPC. “We were able to get a good test run this fall, so we’re ready to go full bore next spring.”

Under federal regulations, states must conduct traffic counts every three to five years on all roads that are eligible to receive federal funds. In this area, the state Department of Transportation has SPC do the count for a 10-county area, but other agencies and PennDOT itself do the counts in other areas from March to November every year.

Previously, counts were done in six-hour increments because personnel would need two hours to set up and take down the hoses. While the system was in place, the rubber hoses would count the number of vehicles, but one or two employees would be just off the roadway marking down the kinds of vehicles driving by, placing them in one of 13 categories from motorcycles to seven-axle trucks.

“Before we had these cameras, we had people on the side of the road,” said Jeremy Freeland, division manager for planning and research at PennDOT’s central office. “That was tedious. That was dangerous. We decided we wanted to avoid any injuries to our staff.”

When IRD and other vendors developed the automated systems, PennDOT reviewed them and decided to buy two a couple years ago. Then it held demonstrations at several locations across the state for other agencies.

“We were immediately interested and thought, ‘This is awesome,’” McCombs said. “This is how we should count traffic in the future.”

The agency waited for the next generation of the automated equipment before it spent about $60,000 on four of the systems. The new system takes about a half-hour to set up and can record traffic counts and the vehicles that pass through an area for 24 hours.

Developers have uploaded thousands of images of vehicles for computers to use to identify the type passing a particular location.

McCombs and Freeland cited several advantages: Tests have shown the computer recognition of the type of vehicle is about 3% more accurate than humans; the longer deployment gives a more complete picture of traffic in an area; and employees can be assigned other, safer work while the machines count traffic.

That information on traffic and vehicle use is invaluable when officials look for funding to improve road conditions, McCombs said.

“That’s the first thing that’s asked: What’s the traffic look like?” he said. “It’s the groundwork for everything else.”

Freeland said the state also uses the types of vehicles that use roads to determine the best surface to use. A road with mostly car traffic might get a different surface than an area with heavy commercial and tractor-trailer traffic.

Also, traffic patterns can help crews determine the best time of day to do work.

McCombs said the initial cost of about $15,000 for the AI system is a big increase from $500 to $600 for the previous systems, but the agency believes the new system is worth it.

“It’s initially prohibitive, but then it pays for itself,” he said.

Freeland agreed.

“It’s very new,” he said. “You can see it is a great tool to have.”

View the full article at unionprogress.com.

As part of a news conference about Crash Responder Safety Week on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, Leslie Osche, Butler County commissioner and chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, tells how her son state Trooper Joshua Osche was seriously injured at an accident scene on the Parkway West in August.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Joshua Osche was off duty and traveling on the Parkway West in Robinson just after 11:30 p.m. Aug. 24 when he came upon an accident scene, pulled over, put on a safety vest and got out to help.

Osche was trying to lay light sticks on the ground to mark the area for other drivers when he was struck by another vehicle. He flipped over it and was thrown into the middle of a highway filled with traffic from a concert at The Pavilion at Star Lake. Tow truck driver Blair Johnson rescued Osche by dragging him to the median divider until more help could arrive, but the trooper is still recovering from two broken legs and other injuries he received that night.

Leslie Osche, the trooper’s mother, who also is a Butler County commissioner and chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, told that harrowing story at a news conference the commission held at its Strip District headquarters Tuesday to promote Crash Responder Safety Week. The commission reviews transportation projects for federal funding in a 10-county area, but its other duties include running the traffic incident management program that holds monthly meetings to discuss best practices to keep emergency responders safe.

Leslie Oshe was among several speakers who urged motorists to follow the law by slowing down around emergency situations. This year, 34 people have died across the country while responding to emergencies.

Osche said she believes “divine providence” allowed her son to be saved so he and the family can do their part to encourage drivers to be cautious around emergency scenes. The trooper is expected to make a full recovery and already is working behind the scenes doing analysis of cellular records and other investigative data work.

“He will make it. He will be fine,” the commissioner said. “Please slow down. Please pay attention. Follow the law.”

Quoting from the state Motor Vehicle Code, Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said drivers have a “duty” to slow down and move to at least the next lane to avoid causing additional problems at an emergency site. State police will make a special effort to make sure motorists are following those practices during the upcoming holiday season, he said, and will issue tickets to drivers who don’t cooperate.

“We will be watching and doing our duty if you don’t want to do yours,” he said.

Paul A. Sabol recounted other close calls in the Pittsburgh area recently and one fatality, Husam Shuibat, 53, a veteran tow driver who was hit along the Parkway West on Aug. 17. Those accidents are avoidable, Sabol said.

“Move over and slow down,” he said. “Let us do our jobs.”

Read the full story at unionprogress.com

Thirty-four people across the nation have died this year while responding to roadside incidents. A Butler County commissioner’s son is just one story of how roadside workers can be injured or killed if drivers are not paying attention.

State trooper Joshua Osche, son of county Commissioner Leslie Osche, was struck by a vehicle while laying flares at a crash site on the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. He was not on duty at the time, but was wearing a reflective jacket, Leslie Osche recounted during a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission press conference Tuesday, Nov. 14.

“He was in the process of placing warning light sticks on the roadway when he was struck by a vehicle and launched into the air, landing in the center of the parkway,” said Osche, who is also chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. “A tow-truck driver, Blair Johnson, who was involved in the accident and attempting to divert traffic from the disabled vehicle, pulled my son to safety, lest he be hit again.

“His injuries were very serious. He suffered two broken legs and is learning to walk again.”

Osche’s story kicked off a conference regarding Crash Responder Safety Week, which the commission hosts each year to remind drivers to slow down and move over when they see emergency vehicles on a roadway. The conference, which took place at the Strip District Terminal in Pittsburgh and was streamed on the commission’s Facebook page, featured speeches from several traffic officials in the region.

State Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said at the conference it is the responsibility of every driver to be alert while behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially when approaching vehicles stopped on or along a road.

“It’s your duty to be paying attention to the roadway and all the obstacles around you,” Gagliardi said. “Our strongest statistic is actually tow truck drivers getting hit on the side of the road.”

Joshua Spano, manager of transportation operations and safety for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, said the easiest thing people can do to increase safety as people respond to roadside incidents is slow down.

“My ask for the traveling public is that you slow down and move over so we can do our jobs,” Spano said. “One life lost is too many.”

Osche said her son is recovering from the crash well and is still participating in state police work as part of its cellular analysis task force.

Although Joshua Osche survived the crash and is making a recovery, Leslie Osche said the crash and others like it can be avoided if drivers use safe driving techniques — and simply move over when approaching emergency vehicles.

“It was a challenge that night on the parkway to get traffic to slow down and move over,” Leslie Osche said. “If you come upon a scene where first responders are assisting someone, if you see lights, if you see flares, please pay attention. … Move over.”

View the full story at cranberryeagle.com

Thirty-four people across the nation have died this year while responding to roadside incidents. A Butler County commissioner’s son is just one story of how roadside workers can be injured or killed if drivers are not paying attention.

State trooper Joshua Osche, son of county Commissioner Leslie Osche, was struck by a vehicle while laying flares at a crash site on the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. He was not on duty at the time, but was wearing a reflective jacket, Leslie Osche recounted during a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission press conference Tuesday, Nov. 14.

“He was in the process of placing warning light sticks on the roadway when he was struck by a vehicle and launched into the air, landing in the center of the parkway,” said Osche, who is also chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. “A tow-truck driver, Blair Johnson, who was involved in the accident and attempting to divert traffic from the disabled vehicle, pulled my son to safety, lest he be hit again.

“His injuries were very serious. He suffered two broken legs and is learning to walk again.”

Osche’s story kicked off a conference regarding Crash Responder Safety Week, which the commission hosts each year to remind drivers to slow down and move over when they see emergency vehicles on a roadway. The conference, which took place at the Strip District Terminal in Pittsburgh and was streamed on the commission’s Facebook page, featured speeches from several traffic officials in the region.

State Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said at the conference it is the responsibility of every driver to be alert while behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially when approaching vehicles stopped on or along a road.

“It’s your duty to be paying attention to the roadway and all the obstacles around you,” Gagliardi said. “Our strongest statistic is actually tow truck drivers getting hit on the side of the road.”

Joshua Spano, manager of transportation operations and safety for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, said the easiest thing people can do to increase safety as people respond to roadside incidents is slow down.

“My ask for the traveling public is that you slow down and move over so we can do our jobs,” Spano said. “One life lost is too many.”

Osche said her son is recovering from the crash well and is still participating in state police work as part of its cellular analysis task force.

Although Joshua Osche survived the crash and is making a recovery, Leslie Osche said the crash and others like it can be avoided if drivers use safe driving techniques — and simply move over when approaching emergency vehicles.

“It was a challenge that night on the parkway to get traffic to slow down and move over,” Leslie Osche said. “If you come upon a scene where first responders are assisting someone, if you see lights, if you see flares, please pay attention. … Move over.”

View the full story at butlereagle.com

Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has been tapped to lead the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, an obscure government cooperative of 10 counties and the City of Pittsburgh that helps funnel state and federal dollars to projects in the region.

The commission announced Mr. Fitzgerald’s hiring on Thursday. A term-limited Democrat who has served 12 years in Allegheny County’s top elected position, he’ll begin his new job in January once he leaves office. After more than two decades as an Allegheny County official — he was previously on County Council — he will lead a commission that helps direct state and federal transportation and economic development funding throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“Thank you to the SPC and its board for this opportunity and thank you to Vince for his work to energize and elevate the organization during his tenure,” Mr. Fitzgerald said in a statement, referring to outgoing executive director Vincent Valdes. “While I’ve always had a regional focus, I look forward to putting my skills and relationships to work for all 10 of our counties. Together, we will continue to concentrate on infrastructure, communication, economic development, workforce and quality of life issues for our region.”

Mr. Fitzgerald has already long served on the commission’s executive committee in his capacity as Allegheny County’s leader, including a stint as chairman. The executive committee includes elected officials from around the 10 counties that the commission serves.

He will oversee about 50 employees in his new role, the commission said. He will replace Mr. Valdes, who has served as the commission’s executive director since June 2020. Leslie Osche, chair of the commission and the Butler County Board of Commissioners, said a thorough search process was conducted for Mr. Valdes’ replacement.

“The Board had several objectives when we launched the search process: to attract a candidate that intrinsically understood this region’s unique needs and characteristics, had a track record of leadership and growth cultivation, and would build upon the current strength, talent, and consistency of the SPC staff,” Ms. Osche said in a statement. “We interviewed a diverse group of candidates from the region and beyond. Rich Fitzgerald certainly exceeded the Board’s robust qualifications and competencies.”

Caitlin O’Connor, a commission spokeswoman, said the search process started months ago, not long after Mr. Valdes told the commission’s board in June that he wanted to retire at the end of 2023. Multiple finalists from more than a dozen initial applicants were interviewed in multiple rounds, she said.

View the full article at dailyitem.com.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has a new job lined up after he leaves office in January.

Fitzgerald was named the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s new executive director, the board announced on Thursday.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission is a federally certified metropolitan planning organization and local development district that serves 10 counties in the Pittsburgh area and plans for the continued growth of the region.

As the executive director, the commission says Fitzgerald will lead 50 staff members in seven departments like economic and workforce development, transportation planning and strategic initiatives and policy.

Fitzgerald has been Allegheny County executive since 2012 but is term limited. He also served on county council for 11 years, and before that, the Carnegie Mellon graduate ran a water treatment services and equipment company.

The commission’s current executive director, Vincent Valdes, will retire at the end of the year.

“Thank you to the SPC and its board for this opportunity and thank you to Vince for his work to energize and elevate the organization during his tenure,” Fitzgerald said in a news release. “While I’ve always had a regional focus, I look forward to putting my skills and relationships to work for all 10 of our counties. Together, we will continue to concentrate on infrastructure, communication, economic development, workforce and quality of life issues for our region.”  

Fitzgerald will start his new job on Jan. 2. Sara Innamorato will take over as county executive.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission serves Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties as well as the city of Pittsburgh.

View the full article at cbsnews.com.