The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has instructed Allegheny County to enhance the air permit for U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson plant, focusing on more rigorous testing and monitoring to ensure emission compliance.
Reid Frazier reports for The Allegheny Front.
In short:
- Environmental groups challenged the plant's permit, leading to the EPA's intervention for stricter emission testing.
- The current permit lacks frequent enough testing to verify compliance with emission limits.
- This follows a similar EPA action against the county's permit for U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works.
Key quote:
"You don’t know if your permit is being complied with every hour, if you’re only taking a measurement to confirm that once every two years."
— Lisa Hallowell, attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project
Why this matters:
This development highlights the importance of stringent regulatory oversight to ensure that large polluters adhere to legal standards, protecting public health and the environment in heavily industrialized areas.
Be sure to read: U.S. Steel abandons clean tech plans in Pittsburgh region following damning health study.
