EPA Hazardous Air Pollution Rule to Go into Effect
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is allowing the implementation of a 2024 hazardous air pollution rule that imposes new emissions controls and monitoring requirements on facilities like U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, a few months after seeking to delay and rework it. The hazardous air pollution rule called for fence line monitoring for benzene to begin this year and for stricter limits on air emissions to go into effect in January 2026. Citing opposition from companies that operate coke ovens and integrated steelmaking facilities subject to the rule, the EPA in July delayed its implementation by two years, until July 2027.
At the time, the agency said it had serious concerns that without the installation of additional controls that may be unavailable or unfeasible, the industry would be unable to comply. U.S. Steel has previously argued that the cost to install new pollution controls would be exorbitant and would not be assured of achieving compliance with the final limits. The EPA reversed course last week and wrote that after soliciting feedback and hearing from stakeholders, the agency no longer believes that regulated parties would face significant compliance challenges. It finalized the 2024 rule, and environmental groups that sued the EPA in August over the matter celebrated the decision.
U.S. Steel claims it is committed to working with the EPA and supports regulations that are well-grounded in law and sound science, available and proven technology, and that consider costs and other non-air quality impacts. It claims the 2024 coke rules do not meet these criteria and is evaluating next steps. Despite this, the Mon Valley teams are working on plans to become complaint with the regulations. The company said that the EPA may still choose to rewrite the rule and that U.S. Steel will be engaged in continuing discussions with the agency.
The rule involved establishing tougher limits for equipment leaks and set limits on different types of hazardous air pollutants, including the neurotoxin mercury. The rules also required coke plants to set up fence line monitoring for benzene, a known carcinogen that can cause acute myeloid leukemia. The EPA under the Trump administration found the rules would cost the industry only about $4 million, but the industry claimed the real figure was in the billions. The EPA has yet to make a final decision on a separate set of rules it paused for iron and steel mills. These rules were set to take effect earlier this year but were paused for two years in July.
Were you exposed to benzene and later diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia or another cancer? Contact us today to see if you could be entitled to compensation. Call 412-471-3980 or fill out our contact form and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible to review your case.
