U.S. Steel Fined $13K for Emissions Violation at Clairton Coke

The Allegheny County Health Department last month fined U.S. Steel $13,200 for a failed stack test at the Clairton Coke Works. According to ACHD, one of the company’s batteries emitted nearly four times as much particulate matter than permitted over a three-day period earlier this year.

The Feb. 21 enforcement order, which was posted to the Allegheny County Health Department website Friday, indicates that U.S. Steel failed its emissions tests conducted on Oct. 8-11 and on Oct. 14, 2019 for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at Clairton Coke Works C Battery.

According to the order, U.S. Steel was pumping out 12.3 pounds of pm2.5 an hour on average during that period in October. Its installation permit limits the company from emitting more than 3.4 pounds per hour of the air pollutant.

On one of those days—Oct. 14, 2019—the Liberty-Clairton area residents endured some of the worst air quality in the nation, with AQI spiking to 163 that day.

You can read the entire enforcement order here.

U.S. Steel was also fined for emissions issues at its Clairton Coke Works in January for which they were assessed a $743,000 fine. You can read more about that on our blog.