The Allegheny County Health Department has issued $743,625 in fines to U.S. Steel related to air pollution control and permit violations that occurred at the Clairton Coke Works facility last year, according to a statement from the health department Friday.

This is the first round of fines that will be added to a Community Benefit Trust established by a June 2019 settlement agreement between the health department and U.S. Steel.

That agreement covered $2.7 million in fines related to 2018 air pollution violations and early 2019 enforcement orders.

Of that total, about $2.5 million — or 90% — was used to initiate the new Community Benefit Trust.

That money will be used to benefit communities impacted by air pollution and includes the municipalities of Clairton, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue, according to the settlement.

The remaining 10% was deposited in the existing Clean Air Fund.

The fines issued Friday will follow the same formula, according to the health department statement.

Of the $743,625 in penalties, 90% — $699,262 — will be paid to the Community Benefit Trust. The remaining 10% — $74,362 — will be paid to the Clean Air Fund.

U.S. Steel is reviewing the fines, according to a statement from the company Friday.

None of those fines address two fires at the Clairton Coke Works facility — one on Dec. 24, 2018 and another June 17 — that caused shutdowns of pollution controls and touched off months of heightened concerns over emissions from the site. The new fines are connected to violations in the second and third quarter of 2019.

Penalties associated with those fires and related emissions violations will be addressed through a federal lawsuit brought by Pennsylvania environmental groups, Clean Air Council and PennEnvironment, along with the county health department.

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