Your Health Can’t Wait: Act Now to Protect Our Communities from Coke Oven Pollution

Here at GASP, we are on the front lines of the fight for clean air. We know first hand how communities -  especially those living in the shadows of facilities like U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works and Cleveland Cliffs’ Monessen Coke Works - have long endured a disproportionate burden of toxic air pollution. 

We collectively fought tirelessly for stronger regulations to protect our families, our neighbors, and ourselves from the hazardous emissions that can lead to serious health issues, including cancer and respiratory diseases.

That’s why we are so outraged by the EPA’s recent decision to delay the full implementation of the revised National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) for Coke Ovens. 

What Does This Delay Mean for You?

This rollback allows industrial facilities like Edgar Thomson Works to continue emitting dangerous pollutants for an extended period. The specific delays are unacceptable and pose a serious threat to public health:

• Benzene Monitoring is on Hold: The crucial requirement for fenceline monitors to detect benzene—a known carcinogen—will be delayed. This means we won't have the necessary data to understand and address the levels of a cancer-causing chemical in our own backyards.

• Pollution from Coke Ovens Continues Unchecked: New limits on emissions from coke oven pushing, quenching, and battery stacks, which would have had a major positive impact on the Pittsburgh region, will be pushed back.

• Leaking Facilities Get a Pass: The new, stricter limits on leaking coke oven doors, lids, and offtake piping—a persistent problem with U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works—will also be postponed.

  
  

The EPA claims these delays are necessary because of "industry assertions" about the time needed for modifications. But let's be clear: these challenges are not new. 

“The industry has a long history of seeking delays to avoid compliance, and the EPA’s acceptance of these arguments puts corporate profits over our public health,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “The agency even provided an estimate of the millions of dollars the industry will save from this delay, but offered no estimate of the cost to human health and the additional pollution our communities will be forced to endure. This lack of transparency is completely unacceptable.”

Why Your Voice Is Crucial

We can’t keep stressing this enough: This delay is part of a larger, systematic dismantling of environmental and public health protections. 

If we don’t stand up and resist these rollbacks, we are giving a green light to a future with dirtier air and more health risks. The EPA is accepting public comments on this decision, and it is vital that we make our opposition loud and clear.

While a public comment period may sometimes feel like a mere formality, it remains a powerful tool for putting our concerns on the record. 

“Each unique, well-reasoned comment becomes a permanent part of the official record, providing a strong basis for future legal challenges and advocacy efforts,” Campbell added. “Your personal story about how this pollution affects your life, your family, or your community is incredibly powerful and cannot be ignored.”

How to Take Action

We must resist this latest attempt to sacrifice our health for industry convenience. Here's what you can do right now:

1. Submit a Comment to the EPA: Go to the official regulations website and submit your comment. You can find the relevant documents by using the Docket ID numbers: EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0085 and EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0051. Need a little help getting started? Feel free to use our comments in full or part.

2. Make Your Voice Heard: In your comment, state your opposition to the delay. Explain why these regulations are important to you and your community's health. Refer specifically to the postponed requirements like fenceline benzene monitoring and the new limits on leaks.

3. Urge the EPA to Reverse Its Decision: Demand EPA enforce the original compliance deadlines. The health of our communities cannot and should not be delayed.

   
   

This is our chance to push back. Let's send a clear message that our health is not for sale, and we will not accept a future of dirtier air. The time to act is now.