Pollution notice filed with steelmaker
Environmental groups: Ludlum is in violation
The ongoing battle over air pollution from Allegheny Ludlum’s Brackenridge steel mill and questions about how much a proposed federal emissions permit for the plant should allow, could soon land in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh.
Four environmental organizations Thursday filed legal notice of their intent to sue the steelmaker, saying the plant, located about 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, is violating the federal Clean Air Act by releasing more pollutants from its two electric arc furnaces than its 15-year-old permit allows.
The organizations also claim that a proposed operating permit under consideration by the Allegheny County Health Department, which has air quality oversight authority, would illegally allow the mill to double or triple emissions of some unhealthy air pollutants.
“This is about protecting the health of everyone who lives downwind from this plant,” said Patton Dycus, an attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington, D.C.-headquartered organization that is focused on enforcement of environmental laws.
Joining EIP in filing the eightpage notice is the Pittsburghbased Group Against Smog and Pollution; PennEnvironment, which has offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; and the Clean Air Council, based in Philadelphia.
The federal Clean Air Act allows citizens, including non-governmental organizations, to sue SEE POLLUTION, PAGE B-2