Trump reverses course on coke oven rule for toxic air pollution, granting 2-year waivers to comply
U.S. Steel applauds the move while environmental groups say it puts the health of communities near coke plants at risk.
air pollution
Allegheny County Council approves higher fees for polluters after year-long delay
Revenue from the fees is meant to fill a hole in the budget for the county’s air quality program.
Carnegie Mellon research is behind a new global map of air pollution
Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab partnered with a nonprofit to build an animated map that shows how particle pollution spreads from 9,560 industrial sources in urban areas around the world.
3 Pennsylvania cities ranked among worst places to live for people with asthma
WHYY·
The 2025 U.S. Asthma Capitals report identifies cities with high rates of asthma-related emergency room visits and deaths.
EPA reverses course on rule that will force U.S. Steel to monitor for cancer-causing emissions
U.S. Steel's Clairton coke works will now have to monitor for benzene, a known carcinogen, at the plant's fence line. EPA had paused the rules.
EPA rule change could weaken clean air protections, environmentalists say
They say the proposal would undermine clean air protections and deny public involvement in communities where polluting facilities are built.
Coke plant’s closure near Pittsburgh led to immediate health benefits, study finds
ER visits for pediatric asthma and cardiovascular disease plummeted after the Shenango coke plant on Neville Island closed in 2016.
Before the U.S. Steel explosion, a legacy of cost-cutting and broken promises
U.S. Steel has repeatedly announced, then canceled, upgrades to its facilities, while deferring maintenance and spending less than industry standards on the Clairton plant.
Trump rollbacks keep new clean air rules out of Pittsburgh’s Mon Valley
New air pollution rules for steel plants including the Clairton Coke Works have been paused for at least two years.
Allegheny County deploys mobile air quality monitors near Clairton Coke Works
The health department began deploying mobile air units Thursday provided by DEP and CMU. The units will test for dozens of hazardous air pollutants.
