FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2019

Contact:

Ryan Scarpino
Public Health Information Officer
412-578-8312 (office)
412-339-7995 (cell)
Ryan.Scarpino@AlleghenyCounty.us

U.S. Steel Fined Over $700,000 for Violations in Third, Fourth Quarter of 2018
PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has levied a fine of $707,568 against U.S.
Steel for the third and fourth quarters of 2018 due to continued emissions problems at the Clairton Coke Works
facility. This marks the third civil penalty levied against U.S. Steel since June of 2018, totaling more than $2 million.
This latest civil penalty is separate from all other enforcement actions and legal matters that the Health Department
and U.S. Steel are actively involved in since the beginning of 2017. Following is a summary of those matters:
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On November 9, 2017, ACHD and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a joint notice of
violation against U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson facility for repeated exceedances of visible emissions and
violations of its Title V permit. The U.S. Department of Justice is involved, and fines will eventually be split
between ACHD and the EPA.
On June 28, 2018, ACHD issued an enforcement order against U.S. Steel which also included a civil
penalty of more than $1 million due to a decrease in compliance over time at its Clairton Coke Works.
Terms of the order included that if U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works does not improve violations in two
sequential quarters of 2019 (Jan 1st-June 30th), two of the worst performing batteries will be put on hot idle.
U.S. Steel appealed this order and it is currently in the appeals process with the hearing officer. A written
decision will be issued in the future.
On October 18, 2018, the Health Department issued an additional civil penalty, a fine of $620,316, against
U.S. Steel for continued emissions problems for the second quarter of 2018 at the Clairton Coke Works
facility, as there was an increase in the number of violations over the previous quarter. U.S. Steel has
appealed this civil penalty. A hearing to determine the merits of the appeal will be held on June 17, 2019
(date subject to change).
On February 28, 2019, ACHD issued an enforcement order against U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works (Edgar
Thomson Plant, Irvin Plant and Clairton Coke Works) for continued Article XXI permit violations for daily
sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions after the December 24, 2018, fire occurred at the Clairton Coke Works. On
March 12, 2019, ACHD revised its enforcement order. The action was taken in response to information
submitted by U.S. Steel on March 7, 2019, demonstrating that portions of the February 28th order could
result in greater short-term emissions. Per the revised order, U.S. Steel is required to extend coking times
to 27 hours, have specific equipment operational by April 1, 2019, and have 100% desulfurization back
online by April 15, 2019. Additional enforcement actions will follow if these deadlines are not met.

Once repairs to the Clairton Coke Works made necessary by the December 24, 2018 fire are completed, ACHD will
conduct a comprehensive assessment of violations and will evaluate and review all information to determine the
amount of the resulting civil penalties. The fines will be in addition to any additional measures that will be required
by ACHD of U.S. Steel.
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Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, Director
Allegheny County Health Department – Public Information Office
542 Fourth Avenue │ Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: 412-687-ACHD (2243) │ Fax: 412-578-8325│www.alleghenycounty.us/healthdepartment
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