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Blog Against Smog

Apr 18, 2022

No Surprise: U.S. Steel Appeals Allegheny County Health Department $1.8M Enforcement Order Over H2S

As expected, the infamously-litigious U.S. Steel Corp. has appealed a March 7 Allegheny County Health Department enforcement order for illegal hydrogen sulfide emissions from its Clairton Coke Works. In the 23-page appeal filed April 5 and posted to the ACHD website this weekend, the company asks an Allegheny County hearing officer to vacate the order and the $1.8 million fine that came along with it. U.S. Steel used the usual appeal argument: That ACHD “abused its discretion

BREAKING: U.S. Steel Fined $4.6 Million for 831 Uncontrolled Push Violations at Clairton Coke Works,

Mar 24, 2022

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BREAKING: U.S. Steel Fined $4.6 Million for 831 Uncontrolled Push Violations at Clairton Coke Works,

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Thursday announced in a press release that it has imposed more than $4.5 million in penalties against U.S. Steel for 831 uncontrolled push violations at its Clairton Coke Works facility. The violations occurred between Jan. 1, 2020, and March 15, 2022. Here’s what the release said: “Pushing is the operation of unloading, or “pushing,” finished coke from the oven into a traveling hot car to be transported and cooled. To contain

Air Quality Exceedances Abound This Week at Allegheny County Health Department’s Liberty Monitor

Mar 15, 2022

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Air Quality Exceedances Abound This Week at Allegheny County Health Department’s Liberty Monitor

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Tuesday morning issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning for Tuesday and all of Wednesday. That, of course, meant that the rolling 24-hour average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) level at ACHD’s air quality monitor in Liberty borough exceeded the federal health-based standard *and* that ACHD is confident poor air quality is likely to continue. For those who might need a refresher on the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule, chec

<UPDATED> Allegheny Co. Health Department Issues Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning for Tuesday

Mar 15, 2022

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<UPDATED> Allegheny Co. Health Department Issues Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning for Tuesday

The Liberty-Clairton area woke up to unhealthy air quality again Tuesday, with EPA’s NowCast AQI soaring to 183 and hourly monitor data showing elevated levels of PM2.5, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide at the Liberty monitor. HEADS UP: Liberty-Clairton waking up to horrific air quality today. Current AQI is listed as 183 by @AIRNow (CodeRed unhealthy for all) & @HealthAllegheny monitor data show sky-high concentrations of both PM2.5 and H2s at the Liberty monitor. Please

<UPDATED> No More Excuses for U.S. Steel: ACHD Finds Clairton Coke Works “Entirely” Responsibl

Mar 7, 2022

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<UPDATED> No More Excuses for U.S. Steel: ACHD Finds Clairton Coke Works “Entirely” Responsibl

Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department today in a press release announced that it has fined U.S. Steel more than $1.8 million for H2S violations. You can read all about that on our blog. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) last week published a comprehensive study analyzing potential sources of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that have been driving exceedances of the Pennsylvania 24-hour average H2S standard at its air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. The 3

Time Running Out to Speak Out About U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works’ Draft Air Quality Permit

Mar 3, 2022

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Time Running Out to Speak Out About U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works’ Draft Air Quality Permit

The deadline to weigh in on the draft air quality permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works is quickly approaching, and it’s so important that regulators hear from residents like you. GASP is making that as easy as possible: Our attorneys have pored over the more than 300-page permit and are preparing written technical comments on its deficiencies. But they also took the time to distill all that information down into an FAQ we can all understand. Here’s what you need to kno

GASP to Allegheny County Board of Health: Leverage Your Authority & Demand More From ACHD

Mar 2, 2022

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GASP to Allegheny County Board of Health: Leverage Your Authority & Demand More From ACHD

The Allegheny County Board of Health meeting’s public comment period Wednesday was dominated by residents who expressed their concern over various air quality issues, with some speaking out about recent bad-air episodes while others addressed the draft operating permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, as well as a lack of information from the Air Quality Program regarding recent regulation changes. GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell was among those in attendance, t

<UPDATED> More H2S Exceedances at Liberty, Mon Valley Residents Report Stench

Feb 22, 2022

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<UPDATED> More H2S Exceedances at Liberty, Mon Valley Residents Report Stench

Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 10:35 a.m. Feb. 23 to include an updated H2S chart. Users of CMU CreateLab’s crowd-sourcing app SmellPG reported the usual odors – saying the pungent air that seeped in through their windows last night and this morning was reminiscent of rotten eggs. Some said it was a strong sulfur smell. Others called it “industrial.” The possible culprit could be the elevated concentrations of hydrogen sulfide that have pervaded the Mon Valley Monday

Mon Valley Air Pollution Mitigation Plans Now Available on Allegheny Co. Health Department Website

Feb 8, 2022

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Mon Valley Air Pollution Mitigation Plans Now Available on Allegheny Co. Health Department Website

GASP just last week called on ACHD to make the documents public so that residents could see for themselves how the polluters in their neighborhoods plan to deal reduce particulate matter emissions during short-term air pollution events. “We want to thank Allegheny County Health Department for making these plans available for public consumption,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “Transparency is paramount when it comes to accountability.” Here’s what ACHD tweeted

Allegheny Co Health Dept. Issues Notice of Applicability, Tells it to Submit Mitigation Plan

Feb 7, 2022

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Allegheny Co Health Dept. Issues Notice of Applicability, Tells it to Submit Mitigation Plan

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has issued a notice of applicability to Magnus Productions, telling the company that it must comply with the recently approved Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rules. Here’s what happened: ACHD on Jan. 27 issued an amended permit to the company for the operation of the former Braddock Recovery facility at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson plant, making it subject to the new rules. The company has until April 27 to submit plans – one for

Allegheny County Health Department Tells U.S. Steel, Others that Mon Valley Air Pollution Mitigation

Feb 2, 2022

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Allegheny County Health Department Tells U.S. Steel, Others that Mon Valley Air Pollution Mitigation

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has notified U.S. Steel and other major source polluters that emissions mitigation plans submitted to comply with Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rules are “unacceptable,” and ordered them to modify and resubmit paperwork or face possible fines. You can read all about that Mon Valley Episode Rule here. In a Jan. 31 Order of Disapproval and Order for Compliance, ACHD notified U.S. Steel that the mitigation plan submitted for its C

2022's 4th Exceedance of PA’s H2S Air Quality Standard Noted in Mon Valley; Still No Word from ACHD

Jan 24, 2022

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2022's 4th Exceedance of PA’s H2S Air Quality Standard Noted in Mon Valley; Still No Word from ACHD

Sadly, if you live in the Mon Valley, this likely isn’t news: Air quality was terrible early Saturday, with AirNow.gov showing “unhealthy” NowCast AQI values that were – for a time – the worst in the nation. Users took to the CMU CREATE Lab’s SmellPGH app to share their complaints and concerns, describing physical symptoms like nausea, headaches, scratchy throats, and respiratory trouble. One user noted the lack of action from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), wr

Hearing Officer Issues Split Decision on Coke Oven Dispute Between the Allegheny County Health Depar

Jan 10, 2022

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Hearing Officer Issues Split Decision on Coke Oven Dispute Between the Allegheny County Health Depar

Remember back in September when famously litigious U.S. Steel asked an Allegheny County Health Department hearing officer to put the kibosh on long-sought updates to local coke oven regulations expected to help better protect public health? U.S. Steel already took a bow, telling the Pittsburgh Business Times in an “exclusive” story Friday that it had won the case. But GASP staff took a look at the Dec. 6 ruling and think it’s a draw at best. But we’re getting ahead of ourselv

GASP, Fellow Activists & Residents Tell Board of Health: You’re Not Taking This Seriously

Jan 6, 2022

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GASP, Fellow Activists & Residents Tell Board of Health: You’re Not Taking This Seriously

Longtime Clairton resident Art Thomas didn’t mince words Wednesday when he spoke before the Allegheny County Board of Health, telling members that if he was a teacher, he would assign the health department an F grade for air quality enforcement. Mr. Thomas was one of many who spoke out at the meeting to demand better from public health officials on air quality matters, asking them to improve the frequency and substance of public communications surrounding air pollution issues

UPDATED: Today Will Mark 54th H2S Exceedance of 2021 at Liberty Monitor; Abysmal Air Quality Returns

Dec 21, 2021

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UPDATED: Today Will Mark 54th H2S Exceedance of 2021 at Liberty Monitor; Abysmal Air Quality Returns

Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 10:35 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, to include information on an exceedance that occurred at North Baddock Tuesday. The associated chart was also updated. By 7 a.m. Tuesday, social media and SmellPGH users were sounding the alarm about it being another stinky morning in and around the ‘Burgh. As complaints rolled in about the overwhelming odor and physical impacts they caused, AirNow.Gov showed AQI NowCast values at Allegheny County He

GASP Joins Partners in Response to Bombshell Media Reports About U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Maintenance

Nov 22, 2021

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GASP Joins Partners in Response to Bombshell Media Reports About U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Maintenance

Breathe Project in responding to bombshell media reports published in Allegheny Front and Public Source Friday analyzing court documents that show that U.S. Steel allowed its Mon Valley operations to fall into disrepair at the expense of the health of local residents. You can – and should – read the series (links to all of them are at the bottom of this story), which sheds more light on what exactly caused the 2018 Christmas Eve fire that left the Clairton Coke Works without

Weekend Sees Yet Another H2S Exceedance for Mon Valley

Nov 22, 2021

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Weekend Sees Yet Another H2S Exceedance for Mon Valley

Concentrations of the air pollutant known by its rotten-egg odor were high enough to exceed Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average of 0.005 ppm, ending the day at 0.008 ppm. This marks the 46th day of 2021 when H2S exceeded that standard at the Liberty monitor. There were 17 other such exceedances at ACHD’s air quality monitor in North Braddock Borough. “The Mon Valley remains on pace to hit at least 50 H2S exceedances by the end of the year. For those who might not know, that would

Allegheny County Health Department to Hearing Officer: Deny U.S. Steel Request to Kill New Coke Oven

Oct 21, 2021

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Allegheny County Health Department to Hearing Officer: Deny U.S. Steel Request to Kill New Coke Oven

UPDATE: U.S. Steel filed a reply brief on Oct. 22. You can read it on the Allegheny County Health Department legal docket. The Allegheny County Health Department was clear in its response to a U.S. Steel legal brief asking a hearing officer to determine that proposed rulemaking regarding coke oven battery emissions does not comply with a high-profile, controversial settlement agreement: The company’s request for relief should be DENIED. Before we get too much more in detail a

Smoke & Flames at Edgar Thomson Plant, More H2S Exceedances Punctuate Need for Public Update

Aug 23, 2021

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Smoke & Flames at Edgar Thomson Plant, More H2S Exceedances Punctuate Need for Public Update

GASP’s resident smoke reader and longtime project manager Sue Seppi snapped into action, reviewing Breathe Cam footage of the facility, noting that thick black smoke and flames were visible around 10:15 a.m. that Thursday, Aug. 19. Then on Saturday and Tuesday, the Mon Valley experienced two more exceedances of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour standard of 0.005 ppm for hydrogen sulfide (AKA H2S, also known by its pungent rotten-egg odor). That makes 35 such exceedance at the Liberty mo

The Mon Valley Stinks (Literally): Sky-High H2S Concentrations Cause Air Quality Exceedances

Jul 27, 2021

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The Mon Valley Stinks (Literally): Sky-High H2S Concentrations Cause Air Quality Exceedances

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 9:25 a.m. on Thursday, July 29 to include additional information about an air quality exceedance that occurred on Wednesday, July 28. The associated chart was also updated to reflect the new data. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitors in Liberty and North Braddock boroughs were sky-high Tuesday morning – so high that by 10 a.m. exceedances of the state’s 24-hour average standard we

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