Allegheny County issues emergency enforcement to U.S. Steel following fire at Clairton Coke Works

After the second fire in six months at U.S. Steel’s Coke Works plant in Clairton damaged the troubled facility further, the Allegheny County Health Department issued an emergency enforcement order demanding U.S. Steel create a plan to minimize pollutant emissions.

The order, released at about 5 p.m. Monday evening, gives U.S. Steel 24 hours to demonstrate its ability to keep its pollutants to the permitted levels. If the department isn’t satisfied, coke-making procedures at the plant will be shut down immediately.

A Dec. 24 fire at the plant forced U.S. Steel to shut down two control rooms where raw coke oven gas is processed and cleaned, resulting in the release of a number of pollutants to downriver systems.

Since that date, the levels of particulate pollutants, like sulfur dioxide, have increased demonstrably in the air surrounding the plant. In the enforcement order, ACHD listed 19 days in the past six months when at least one of those pollutants has exceeded regulatory standards according to data from the department’s monitoring locations in Liberty and North Braddock.

Read more: https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/allegheny-county-issues-emergency-enforcement-to-us-steel-following-fire-at-clairton-coke-works/Content?oid=15228000
(Pittsburgh City Paper)