From PennFuture (http://www.pennfuture.org):
In January 2016, PennFuture filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue U.S. Steel because of 6,700 documented air quality violations at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility between January 1, 2012 and May 31, 2015. PennFuture was denied its “day in court” to protect the residents of the Mon Valley and the Pittsburgh region, when regulators stepped in and gave U.S. Steel more time to rectify its repeated air quality violations.
Unfortunately, the most recent agreement between regulators and U.S. Steel requires that, on March 24, 2019, US Steel simply certify that it has complied with the terms of the agreement. It doesn’t require U.S. Steel to shut down and replace its most problematic batteries at the works.
Decades of consent orders, multi-millions of dollars in fines paid, and more recently, tougher enforcement by regulators has not resulted in U.S. Steel safeguarding the air we breathe. Nor have these measures stopped the facility’s legacy of pollution and operational problems, such as the disastrous December 24, 2018 fire that left nearby residents sheltering in their homes due to the toxic air conditions it produced.
The time for change is now. SIGN THE PETITION at https://pennfuture.salsalabs.org/toxicneighborclairtoncokeworks/index.html and ask U.S. Steel’s leadership to do the following:
- Retire Clairton Coke Works’ oldest, dirtiest, and most problematic coke batteries: 1, 2, and 3.
- Modernize Clairton Coke Works by investing in technologically advanced upgrades to ensure cleaner air and Mon Valley jobs now and in the future.
- Commit to public transparency about plant operations, especially in cases of emergency.
Demand that U.S. Steel be a better neighbor, not a #ToxicNeighbor!
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