Updated on: June 7, 2024 / 2:52 PM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh
CLAIRTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- One of the oldest parts of U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works has shut down for good. Locomotive Parts
Environmental advocates say battery 15 at Clairton Coke Works was one of the most polluting parts of the facility.
Those advocates say its pollutants are linked to cancer and breathing problems.
The battery had been offline since 2019, and at the time, it produced 10% of the facility's coke.
"It was definitely a breath of fresh air and a sigh of relief," said Penn Environment's Zachary Barber.
Barber is talking about that fresh air, literally. His group says the permanent closure of battery 15 was confirmed in a filing with the Allegheny County Health Department. It's the result of a lawsuit they and other groups filed.
"This has been a long time in the works. Resediments and environmental advocates have been saying U.S. Steel needs to reduce emissions by closing down all or at least parts of the facility."
Coke production is an essential part of the steel-making process.
"I'll say, I've been working for U.S. Steel for 22 years, and this is the first time I've been concerned, yes," said former United Steelworkers Local 1557 union president Don Furko.
Furko says he's less worried about job losses and more worried about the facility's coke-making capacity falling, especially considering three other batteries were shut down last year.
"It makes it so that we need every ton of coke that we can possibly make. In other words, if we were going to lose one more battery, we wouldn't be able to feed all the blast furnaces that the company currently runs," Furko added.
Furko says they have 3,000 union members between the three plants.
"If anything were to happen to Clairton, it would have a catastrophic effect on them and the Mon Valley."
That would mean potential job losses.
Furko says he is very concerned about that reality because of the pressure they get from the Allegheny County Health Department and environmental groups.
"This is a good day for air in the Mon Valley, Pittsburgh, and beyond, and we're hopeful this will pay health dividends for residents in the years to come," Barber added.
In a statement to KDKA-TV, U.S. Steel said:
"At U. S. Steel, there are more than 3,000 hardworking men and women in the Mon Valley who strive every day to make essential steel in a way that complies with all environmental regulations. We have invested roughly $750 million in our Mon Valley operations in the past five years and invest more than $100 million per year on environmental compliance efforts there. This hard work has contributed to an environmental and permit regulation compliance rate above 99%."
Penn Environment says the lawsuit was filed in response to thousands of air pollution violations after the massive fire at the plant on Christmas Eve 2018. The lawsuit was brought by Penn Environment, the Clean Air Council, and Allegheny County.
As part of the settlement, U.S. Steel agreed to tighten the limit on emissions of hydrogen sulfide.
First published on June 6, 2024 / 12:01 AM EDT
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