U.S. Steel Appealing Health Dept. Order To Reduce Emissions
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- U.S. Steel is appealing an Allegheny County Health Department order to reduce coke oven gas and sulfur emissions across all facilities.
To put it simply, U.S. Steel says it needs more time.
A fire at the Clairton Coke Works on Dec. 24, 2018, damaged its ability to remove sulfur dioxide from the coke oven gas. Repairs will take another eight to nine weeks.
In the meantime, daily emissions at the Clairton Works, the Irvin Works and the Edgar Thomson Plant are exceeding allowable standards.
"They went from about 13,000 pounds a day that they were allowed, which -- they were actually emitting a fraction of that, to over 70,000 pounds per day. That is something we can't ignore," Jim Kelly, Allegheny County's deputy director of environmental health, said.
The county Health Department ordered U.S. Steel on Thursday to reduce emissions by further extending coking times from 22 hours to 30 to 36 hours or put some coke oven batteries on hot idle.
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In a statement Friday, U.S. Steel said it's begun to implement extended coking times, but it can't meet the schedule the Health Department has set forth without jeopardizing the safety of its workers and the community.
As a result, it has no choice but to appeal the order.
"We're not stepping in to affect the jobs and the production. They have a permit that is required by rule and law. These permits are enforceable even all the way up to the federal level by the EPA. They're violating these permits. These permits are there for a reason and that's for the protection of public health," Kelly said.
U.S. Steel said it is disappointed the Health Department issued another order rather than working with the company to resolve the issues, and it is open to meeting with the Health Department to avoid a lengthy court battle.
The order does allow the company to come up with its own plan to reduce emissions.
