The Environmental Protection Agency objected to an air quality permit issued to U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works, a move advocates say will protect Mon Valley residents from emissions of harmful air pollutants.
The EPA filed the objection under the grounds that the permit — which was issued by the Allegheny County Health Department in November — did not comply with the Clean Air Act.
In March, local environmental groups submitted two petitions to the EPA requesting the objection. The first, filed by the Environmental Integrity Project, PennFuture, and the Clean Air Council, argued that the Title V Air Quality permit "did not include monitoring and testing requirements sufficient to assure compliance with multiple air quality emissions limitations for multiple emissions sources."
The second petition, filed by advocates from the Group Against Smog and Pollution, argued that the permit failed to include a compliance schedule, which is required by the Clean Air Act when a facility is out of compliance with emission standards at the time of the permit issuance, according to a news release from environmental organization PennFuture.
The U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works — the continent's largest Coke plant — has been noncompliant with regulations in the past, according to advocates at PennFuture. The plant is also the most significant source of air pollution in Allegheny County.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Steel could not be reached for comment.
After the EPA failed to take action, the Environmental Integrity Project, PennFuture, and Clean Air Council notified the agency of their intent to sue in mid-July. Two months later, the EIP filed a lawsuit on behalf of all three organizations.
In response, the EPA issued an order granting almost all of the petitioner's claims related to testing, monitoring, and reporting requirements, alongside GASPS' claim requiring a compliance schedule.
This decision requires ACHD to revise the permit and permit records.
“We’re hopeful that the ACHD will follow the direction of the EPA,” PennFuture Attorney Angela Kilbert said of the revisions.
"For far too long, Allegheny County residents have deserved clean air but been denied it," said Joseph Otis Minott, executive director and chief counsel of Clean Air Council. "We are grateful to EPA for granting these petitions to minimize harmful industrial pollution."
First Published: October 5, 2023, 9:16 p.m.
Updated: October 6, 2023, 12:09 a.m.