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Jun 8, 2020

U.S. Steel Appeals RACT Installation Permits

U.S. Steel on June 1 appealed three installation permits issued by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) regarding Reasonable Available Control Technology (RACT) at its Mon Valley Works facilities. In its appeal, U.S. Steel argues that the facilities cannot meet the emission limits that ACHD determined to be RACT. Among other things, U.S. Steel alleged that: ACHD issued the permit without first receiving a complete application as required. The terms and conditions of

May 28, 2020

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Announces $361K in Fines Against U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) in a press release Thursday announced that it has issued $361,400 worth of stipulated penalties against U.S. Steel for Article XXI Air Pollution Control violations and permit violations that occurred at the Clairton Coke Works during the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. Pursuant to the Department’s agreement that was reached with U.S. Steel in June of 2019, ninety percent (90 percent) of penalties ($325,260) w

May 4, 2020

Watchdog Report: Has U.S. Steel Kept the Promises It Made in Latest Settlement Agreement with ACHD?

Editor’s Note: A U.S. Steel representative on May 13 provided an update to the Allegheny County Board of Health during the public comment portion of its meeting. His comments, which were submitted and read into the record instead of presented live because of COVID-19 restrictions, indicated that all of the upgrades specified in the agreement with ACHD have been met. The representative also indicated that the company was on target to meet upcoming deadlines. A lot has happened

Apr 10, 2020

With Grant Deadline Extended, There’s No Excuse for ACHD NOT to Seek Air Toxics Monitoring Funding

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a new May 1 deadline to apply for funding under its Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring grant program, giving the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) a chance to submit a project proposal. Given that the grant guidelines state, “(A)ir toxics of particular interest to EPA in this solicitation include benzene,” and that U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works accounted for 80 percent of all benzene emiss

Mar 26, 2020

Open Letter to U.S. Steel: Be a Good Neighbor & Address Contingency Plans Publicly

Dear U.S. Steel Executives, Allegheny County on Thursday recorded its largest increase yet of confirmed COVID-19 cases and health officials expect that number to keep rising. Governor Tom Wolf, as well as regional leaders, ordered non-essential businesses to close and asked people to stay home if at all possible to combat the spread of the illness and “flatten the curve.” While the steel-making industry was exempted from that closure order, it is not exempted from being a goo

Mar 9, 2020

U.S. Steel Fined $13K for Emissions Violation at Clairton Coke Works Facility

The Feb. 21 enforcement order, which was posted to the Allegheny County Health Department website Friday, indicates that U.S. Steel failed its emissions tests conducted on Oct. 8-11 and on Oct. 14, 2019 for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at Clairton Coke Works C Battery. According to the order, U.S. Steel was pumping out 12.3 pounds of pm2.5 an hour on average during that period in October. Its installation permit limits the company from emitting more than 3.4 pounds per hou

Feb 24, 2020

UPDATED: Unhealthy Air Quality in Liberty-Clairton Underscores Need for Stricter Regs, Proactive Com

UPDATE: Allegheny County Health Department’s Air Quality Program Monday evening issued this air quality update through the county’s Allegheny Alert system: Preliminary data recorded on Sunday at the Liberty monitor showed a 24-hour PM2.5 average of 36, which is above the EPA 24-hour standard of 35. This data is not verified and will go through EPA’s filter analysis to determine the final average. If there was a PM2.5 exceedance, it will be addressed via ACHD’s State Implement

Feb 20, 2020

GASP Urges ACHD to Apply for EPA Grant Funding for Air Toxics Monitoring

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now accepting applications from state, local, and tribal air agencies for grant funding to assist them in conducting air quality monitoring projects of hazardous air pollutants (also called air toxics). Given that Allegheny County residents in several communities live and work uncomfortably close to known sources of air toxics, GASP is calling on the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) to pursue funding through this prog

Feb 13, 2020

What You Need to Know About the Community Trust Established by the U.S. Steel, ACHD Settlement

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Monday made public its finalized settlement agreement with U.S. Steel, giving residents the first look at details of an associated $2.46 million community trust. The nine-page document, dated Jan. 30, clarifies several details related to the trust, the communities it benefits, who will serve on a board overseeing it, and how meetings will be conducted and projects selected for funding. GASP in July submitted formal comments reg

Feb 10, 2020

Allegheny Co. Health Department Announces It’s Finalized Emissions Settlement with U.S. Steel

This story was updated to include more links to news articles related to the settlement agreement. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) in a press release Monday announced that it has finalized the settlement agreement and order with U.S. Steel that was issued in June of 2019. The announcement comes more than six months after ACHD held a public hearing to receive comments on the settlement—a hearing at which GASP and myriad other environmental organizations and resid

Jan 17, 2020

UPDATED: ACHD Announces More Than $743K in New Fines Against U.S. Steel

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced in a press release Friday that it has issued fines against U.S. Steel for Article XXI Air Pollution Control violations and permit violations. The violations occurred at the Clairton Coke Works during the second and third quarters of 2019. ACHD has assessed $743,625 in stipulated penalties. Ninety percent (90 percent) of penalties ($669,262.50) will be paid to the Community Benefit Trust for impacted communities while the

Jan 10, 2020

GASP Joins Enviro Groups, Residents to Demand ACHD Action on Coke Oven Regs, Ongoing Emissions

The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) joined environmental groups and droves of residents Friday to send a clear message to the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) that it needs to take action to strengthen coke oven regulations and take steps to hold U.S. Steel and other polluters accountable when industrial emissions and weather events such as inversions combine, tanking local air quality. About 100 people attended the rally held at the Pittsburgh City-County Bu

Jan 6, 2020

Same as It Ever Was: Killer Inversion in Pittsburgh Prompted Us to Call for Tighter Regs in '76, Too

U.S. Steel/Pittsburgh, 1970 The subject of atmospheric inversions—and the role they play in air pollution events that threaten public health—has been the focus of much attention recently. Late last month, a prolonged inversion prevented air pollution from dissipating, resulting in local air quality exceeding the federal air quality standard for fine particulate matter six days in a row. During that same period, the region’s air quality exceeded the Pennsylvania state standard

Dec 27, 2019

Thursday Marked 6 Days of PM2.5, 7 Days of H2S Exceedances at ACHD's Air Quality Monitor in Liberty

In addition to spiked levels of fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2) was also elevated, hitting 71 ppb Thursday night, just shy of a NAAQS exceedance. That’s not all: Thursday marked seven days in a row that the Liberty monitor exceeded the 0.005 ppm 24-hour hydrogen sulfide (H2S) standard. For those who may not have been following the story: A strong weather inversion this week helped trap air pollutants closer to the ground, helping to spur the spike at the Liberty

Dec 23, 2019

U.S. Steel Fined More Than $10K for Failed Stack Test

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Monday issued an Allegheny Alert regarding an enforcement order against U.S. Steel – one that called for a fine of $10,560 to be levied. The Allegheny Alert read: ACHD issued an enforcement order against U.S. Steel on March 25, 2019, due to a failed stack test at the Clairton Coke Works that occurred in November of 2018. Battery 13’s combustion stack exceeded the limit for particulate matter (PM2.5) outlined in its permit. The

Dec 10, 2019

UPDATED: PA Court Approves Preliminary $8.5 Million Settlement Between U.S. Steel, Local Residents

A Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas judge has preliminarily approved an $8.5 million settlement between U.S. Steel and local residents who filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the company’s emissions were a nuisance, amounted to trespass, and were the result of negligent upkeep of the company’s Clairton Coke facility. Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint claimed, “noxious odors and air particulates invading Plaintiffs’ property are indecent and offensive to the senses, and obstruc

Nov 22, 2019

Transparency Watch: More Data, Stricter Regulations Needed to Reduce Benzene Exposure in Mon Valley

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its decision to list benzene as a hazardous air pollutant under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act on June 8, 1977, based on reports “strongly suggest(ing) an increased incidence of leukemia in humans exposed to benzene.” Despite more than 40 years of regulations and research highlighting the danger of exposure to benzene, EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory data show U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke facility was still able to emit over 30

Jul 31, 2019

Residents, Electeds & Enviro Activists Speak Out at Public Hearing About Proposed USS Settlement

Staff Attorney John Baillie provided public comment on behalf of GASP. More than 200 people packed the Clairton Municipal Building Tuesday night, where elected officials, residents, environmental activists and U.S. Steel loyalists spoke out about the proposed settlement between the company and the Allegheny County Health Department—one that would fine the corporation more than $2.7 million, 90 percent of which would be funneled to a community benefit trust per the terms of th

Jul 25, 2019

Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Opinion of the U.S. Steel-ACHD Settlement Agreement Heard

A public hearing on the proposed Settlement Agreement between U.S. Steel and the Allegheny County Health Department regarding emissions issues at the company’s Clairton Coke Works is slated for July 30—giving affected residents, environmentalists, and other interested parties an opportunity to have their say. Here at GASP, part of our mission is educational in nature. A very important part of our job as an educator and watchdog is ensuring that our members and friends are arm

Jul 24, 2019

SPECIAL REPORT: U.S. Steel Investors Sue Company, Allege Systemic Maintenance/Operational Failures

Editor’s Note: GASP staff members took a deep dive into a federal class-action lawsuit filed in April against U.S. Steel on behalf of its investors. The complaint, which can be read in its entirety here, includes testimony from current and former U.S. Steel employees who were deposed as—and referred to in court documents—as confidential witnesses. Those confidential witnesses, one of whom worked at the Clairton Coke Works for 40 years, describe systemic maintenance and operat

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