Watchdog Win: EPA Nixes Proposal to Delay Compliance Deadline for Coke Oven NESHAPS

Now for something completely different - some GOOD news out of the EPA:

The agency signaled in an Oct. 3 notice its intent to kill an interim final rule that would have delayed the full implementation of the revised National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) for coke ovens like the ones operated at U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works facility.

Basically, the withdrawal means the EPA is reinstituting the compliance deadlines set forth in the 2024 final rule revising NESHAP’s. EPA now says that the data that it received from the coke industry regarding its rates of compliance with the final rule showed that compliance is indeed currently possible.  

But you can read the entire notice here.

We first told you about the disastrous proposal back in August, when we implored you to join GASP in speaking out on the issue…to let the EPA know that delaying the compliance deadline was bad for the environment AND our public health.

So many of you did just that: You submitted public comments expressing your vehement opposition to the proposed rollback, you signed up to testify at one of the public hearings, and you shared our newsletters and social media posts with your networks, encouraging folks to join us in the fight.

And it mattered.

The EPA even acknowledged that part of its decision to change course on the issue was directly because of the robust public opposition to the rollback.

“Thank you to everyone who spoke out,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “This might be a small win, but it sends a huge message: Our voices - especially when we raise them together - make a difference and can absolutely move the needle, even in this political environment.”

Please note: It’s not official-official yet. It will be once its published in the Federal Register. Stay tuned, we’ll let you know when it’s official-official.

In the meantime, if you appreciate the advocacy and watchdog work that GASP has done on this and so many other air quality issues, we humbly ask for your support.

If you aren’t a member yet, we’d love to have you on the team. If you’ve donated in the past but have been wanting to refresh your membership, why not do that today? Here’s how.