Coke works pollution system back in operation
The pollution control system extensively damaged in a Dec. 24 fire at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works has resumed operating, the company said Thursday.
The repair and restart of the desulfurization system, which removes sulfur from coke oven gas produced as a byproduct of the coking process, was completed ahead of the company’s April 15 target date.
“U.S. Steel is pleased to announce that we are now desulfurizing 100 percent of the coke oven gas generated at our Clairton Plant,” the company said in a statement from spokeswoman Meghan Cox. “While we employed many effective mitigation measures [after the fire] we are now able to operate the state-ofthe-art desulfurization plant again. This is an important milestone in our repair efforts and we will continue to monitor and adjust coking times as appropriate.”
The Allegheny County Health Department said Thursday that it would begin a “comprehensive assessment of violations since the [fire] to determine the amount of the resulting civil penalties.”
A health department statement said the fines would be in addition to any other measures it will require of U.S. Steel.
Spokesman Ryan Scarpino released a statement from health department director Karen Hacker that commended the company for completing repairs ahead of schedule but called the high sulfur dioxide emissions in the aftermath of the fire “unacceptable.”
According to the health department, there were a total of 10 hourly exceedances of the federal standard for sulfur dioxide emissions in the 14 weeks since the fire, eight recorded by the monitor in Liberty and two at the North Braddock monitor. The most recent occurred March 28 at Liberty.
“Our recent enforcement efforts have been focused on addressing this situation as well as all other violations from the Coke Works and Mon Valley Works facilities,” Dr. Hacker said. “We will continue to be aggressive and proactive and hold U.S. Steel and all other polluters accountable.
“Air quality is one of our county’s most pressing public health challenges. We all want and deserve clean air, and we will continue to use all of our tools to improve the air that we all breathe. But we cannot do this alone, and we call upon industry leaders, such as U.S. Steel, to address all noncompliance issues and improve our air quality.”
The fire occurred about 4:15 a.m. Christmas Eve and burned for more than five hours, causing extensive damage to the desulfurization system and the football field-size building that housed it. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker has determined the fire was sparked by a mechanical failure in the vacuum machine area, but the cause of that failure remains
under investigation.
Ms. Cox said the cost of the repairs will be disclosed in the company’s first-quarter earnings report, which will be released after the stock market closes May 2.
The coke works, along a bend of the Monongahela River about 20 miles south of Pittsburgh, is the largest coking facility in the nation, producing about 4.3 million tons a year in its 10 coke batteries and 708 coke ovens. Coke is an essential ingredient in the iron and steel making process.
Even before the fire, the facility had a long history of air pollution problems. Over the years, U.S. Steel has paid more than $4 million in penalties under terms of six enforcement actions. The company is also appealing two fines totaling more than $1.6 million levied by the health department last year.
On April 1, a fine of $700,000 was assessed against the company for air quality violations in the Mon Valley during the second half of 2018. The company has not said whether it plans to appeal that fine.
“We are glad the repairs have been made and ahead of schedule, but we know emissions violations from other parts of the facility persist and it is critical for U.S. Steel to now turn their attention to addressing these other long-standing problems,” said Rachel Filippini, executive director of the Group Against Smog and Pollution.