PennEnvironment applauds federal government, Allegheny County Health Department for lawsuit against U.S. Steel

Media Contacts

PITTSBURGH – The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) sued U.S. Steel on Monday for multiple violations of the Clean Air Act at the company’s Edgar Thomson Mill in Braddock. The incidents occurred from 2014 to 2017 and include violations at the facility’s blast furnaces, oxygen processing shop and baghouses.

In response, Zachary Barber, clean air advocate with PennEnvironment, issued the following statement:

“This lawsuit supports what we’ve sadly known for years: U.S. Steel is pervasively violating the law. The company’s refusal to maintain and properly operate legally-required pollution control technology at Edgar Thomson and its other Mon Valley Works facilities is producing unhealthy air and putting the health of nearby communities at risk of health problems including cancer and asthma.

U.S. Steel’s pattern of disregard for federal law and the health of nearby residents is why PennEnvironment, Clean Air Council, and ACHD had already filed a separate Clean Air Act lawsuit against U.S. Steel for thousands of violations dating from 2018 to 2019. This new suit by the federal government and ACHD covers violations dating from 2014 to 2017, further indicating U.S. Steel’s long-standing pattern of neglect.

PennEnvironment applauds DOJ and ACHD for taking this important action. No one should be allowed to run roughshod over our cornerstone environmental laws or reap profit while jeopardizing public health. U.S. Steel must be held accountable in both of these lawsuits. To ensure U.S. Steel cleans up its act going forward, the company should be ordered to revamp operations and maintenance of its Mon Valley Works facilities and assess penalties that meet the gravity of these violations.”

***

PennEnvironment is a statewide non-profit environmental advocacy group dedicated to protecting our water, air and open spaces. We investigate problems, craft solutions, educate the public and decision-makers, and help the public make their voices heard in local, state and national debates over the quality of our environment and our lives. To learn more about this or PennEnvironment’s other priorities, visit our website atwww.PennEnvironment.org.

Topics