Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department periodically updates its website to include documents related to air quality enforcement actions. As part of our watchdog work, GASP monitors this webpage and reports on the air quality violations posted there. Because the docket has not been updated since December 2025, GASP is now filing monthly public records requests to glean more timely information related to ACHD’s enforcement efforts. The below are the most recent actions received through the Right to Know process. American Airlines Slapped with Fine After Missing Deadline ACHD on June 30 issued an enforcement order against American Airlines Pittsburgh Maintenance Base for failing to pay its $4,250 annual operating permit maintenance fee by deadline. The enforcement order indicates that ACHD in February sent American Airlines two notices about the unpaid annual fee and a 50 percent civil penalty - $2,250 - for failure to submit that payment by the deadline. “As of the date of this order, ACHD has not received payment for the late payment civil penalty,” the document reads. The document indicates that the company had 30 days to pay the outstanding balance. No further information on the case was immediately available. You can read the enforcement order here. Neville Island Facility Fined for Exceeding Emissions Limits ACHD on June 30 issued a civil penalty of $13,195 to Lindy Paving on Neville Island for exceeding limits for nitrogen oxides emissions during a stack test that occurred on Oct. 16, 2025. Lindy Paving failed that stack test but continued to operate through November 30, 2025, when a permit amendment authorizing higher emission rates became effective. You can read the enforcement order here. Company Owned by North Braddock Mayor Fined for Air Quality Violations ACHD on July 29 issued an $11,050 civil penalty against Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and its contractor, C&C Master Cleaning and Restoration owned by North Braddock Mayor Cletus Lee, for asbestos-abatement violations related to the 2025 demolition of a structure located at 5808 Baum Boulevard in Pittsburgh. You can read the enforcement order here. Braddock Business Fined for Operating Without Air Quality Permits ACHD on June 30 issued a $9.900 civil penalty against Braddock-based Wheaton & Sons for operating a stationary source of air pollution without valid installation and operating permits since being informed of the requirement on May 1, 2026. Wheaton & Sons is “an establishment primarily engaged in fabricated structural metal manufacturing operations [including] machining processes, including two plasma cutters, one laser cutter, multiple press brakes, bandsaws, curving rolls, and punching centers.” “On May 1, 2026, ACHD issued a Determination Letter notifying Wheaton & Sons Inc. that ACHD had determined that the operations located at 108 Talbot Ave, Braddock, PA 15104 required an Installation and Operating Permit Application. The Determination Letter stated that Wheaton & Sons Inc.’s estimated potential emissions of Criteria pollutants are significant and above the threshold required for permitting.” You can read the enforcement order here.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) this week announced it entered into a Consent Order and Agreement with The Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company to resolve air quality violations at its Rochester Plant in Beaver County. According to a press release issued Tuesday, Sherwin-Williams will pay a total $124,700 civil penalty within 30 days of receiving the fully executed consent order. The air quality violations first came to light thanks to investigative reporting by KDKA’s Meghan Schiller after neighbors sounded the alarm over what they described as persistent chemical smell. The consent order addresses violations related to: Failure to install and operate air cleaning devices in a timely manner Air contaminant source construction/installation without proper plan approval Missed required startup notifications Failure to perform required monitoring and recordkeeping under permit and plan approval conditions Issues tied to required control equipment startup timelines and stack testing In addition to the $124,700 civil penalty, the agreement establishes stipulated penalties for future violations. For example, Sherwin-Williams will be fined $1,000 per day per violation for failing to meet any of the agreement deadlines, including those associated with the installation and operation of a Thermal Oxidizer and South Tank Truck Area Carbon Adsorber. The agreement remains in effect until DEP determines Sherwin-Williams has completed all required corrective actions and paid all required penalties. Editor’s Note: For those who’d like to take a deeper dive, you can access the full agreement here.

The U.S Chemical Safety Board on Monday issued its final report on the Aug. 11, 2025 explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works that killed two people, injured 11 others, and caused an estimated $52.5 million in property damage. The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating, determining, and reporting to the public in writing the facts, conditions, and circumstances and the cause or probable cause of any accidental chemical release resulting in a fatality, serious injury, or substantial property damages. Its biggest takeaway? The explosion could have been prevented. The final report is 86 pages long and contains detailed analysis related to the incident, photographs depicting the aftermath of the explosion, and diagrams explaining what happened - we highly recommend folks take a look. While you can read the entire report online, here are the key investigative findings: Procedures and Hazard Analysis: On the day of the explosion, the valve washing operation was performed in a way that directly caused the catastrophic failure of the Battery 13 coke oven gas isolation valve. U.S. Steel occasionally utilized water washing to address valves that could not otherwise fully close, but the company never developed a formal procedure for water washing valves despite relying on it to prepare isolation valves for maintenance outages. Additionally, neither U.S. Steel nor its contractor, MPW Industrial Services, Inc, (MPW), identified or addressed the hazards created by applying pressurized water to the valve at a pressure greater than the valve’s design rating. Facility Siting: The buildings in the Battery 13/14 transfer area were located less than 20 feet directly above the coke oven gas piping system. The buildings were routinely occupied by U.S. Steel personnel but were neither designed nor constructed to withstand an explosion. In the years leading up to the explosion, U.S. Steel had multiple opportunities to evaluate and address the inherent hazards resulting from the co-location of occupied buildings and the hazardous coke oven gas piping. “However, U.S. Steel affirmatively chose not to do so, based on the company’s belief that it was not required to do so,” the report states. Process Safety Management Systems: U.S. Steel did not have sufficient process safety management systems that could have prevented or reduced the severity of this incident. Stay tuned, GASP continues to follow this issue closely and will keep you posted as more information becomes available. Editor’s Note: Here is some key coverage of the report: U.S. Steel’s 'ineffective’ safety procedures led to explosion that killed two, federal chemical safety board concludes - The Allegheny Front U.S. Steel could have prevented 2025 Clairton Coke Works explosion, Chemical Safety Board says | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Preventable safety management failures caused Clairton Coke Works explosions, says chemical safety board