U.S. Steel appealing nearly $900K air pollution fines
The Allegheny County Health Department issued the fines for visible emissions at the company’s Clairton Coke Works for infractions over the last nine months of 2021.
Reid Frazier
New hope to jump-start the clean up of Pennsylvania’s abandoned oil and gas wells
Pennsylvania has tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells left behind by industry. New federal infrastructure money can help cap them and prevent pollution.
Energy Transfer facing 9 counts of environmental crimes for 2018 pipeline blast
A grand jury report finds the company failed to properly oversee construction and erosion controls that led to an explosion in Beaver County.
Study finds elderly near fracking sites at higher risk of dying prematurely
Researchers looked at millions of Medicare records and found elderly people living downwind of fracking sites had a 3.1 percent increased risk of dying prematurely.
In federal court, plaintiffs say U.S. Steel fire, pollution control outage was a ‘complete failure’
Plaintiffs want U.S. Steel charged with 12,000 air quality violations from the 2018 Christmas Eve fire that knocked out pollution controls for three months. U.S. Steel argued that the number of violations is inflated.
Utility reaches settlement with regulators over coal ash pollution in W. Pa. streams
West Penn Power will pay a $610,000 fine and build new pipelines at two coal ash landfills as part of a settlement with EPA and DEP.
Hearing officer blocks Allegheny County’s new coke oven regulations for U.S. Steel
The rules targeted hydrogen sulfide, a gas with a rotten egg smell. The officer said the rules violated a settlement between the health department and the company.
Pitt study: World plastics trade accounts for 350M metric tons of CO2
Plastic traded between countries has the carbon footprint of a mid-sized European country. By 2050, it will account for 15% of the world's greenhouse gases.
Despite moratorium, 2 million gallons of conventional oil and gas waste spread on Pa. roads since 2018
A loophole in state law allows drilling wastewater to be used on roads to suppress dust or melt ice, but it contains salts, metals and radioactive materials.
CNX pleads to criminal charges for misreporting air pollution in Washington County
The company agreed to donate $30,000 to restore part of Chartiers Creek and for township park improvements. It will also donate 184 acres to Allegheny County.
