U.S. Steel closes portion of Clairton Coke Works as part of settlement

U.S. Steel has permanently shut down one of the most prolific batteries at its Clairton Coke Works, part of a settlement reached with environmental groups and the Allegheny County Health Department earlier this year.

Battery No. 15 contained around 10% of the facility’s coke ovens, according to Zach Barber, a clean air advocate with PennEnvironment. It had been idle since 2020.

No jobs will be impacted, according to U.S. Steel.

PennEnvironment, along with the Clean Air Council and county health department, reached a settlement with U.S. Steel in January concerning a 2018 fire at the plant that damaged pollution controls.

Environmental groups and government officials lauded the deal as a win for the region.

“One of the single biggest parts of that settlement was the closure of Battery 15,” Barber said. “Seeing that it’s happening now, we’re hopeful it’ll pay health dividends for residents for years to come.”

U.S. Steel spokesperson Amanda Malkowski noted the company’s efforts at environmental compliance and investments in its Mon Valley Works, which includes the Clairton Works.

“We have invested roughly $750 million in our Mon Valley operations in the past five years, and invest more than $100 million per year on environmental compliance efforts there,” Malkowski said. “This hard work has contributed to an environmental and permit regulation compliance rate above 99%.”

Along with taking the battery offline, U.S. Steel agreed to lower its hydrogen sulfide emission limit, invest an additional $19.5 million in the Clairton Works’ cleaning facilities, contribute $4.5 million to public health projects and pay $500,000 into the Allegheny County Clean Air Fund.

The settlement will remain in effect even if Nippon Steel completes its $14.9 billion takeover of U.S. Steel. The Tokyo-based company still faces resistance from the United Steelworkers union and members of Congress.

Nippon Steel pledged to invest $1.4 billion into facilities staffed by members of the United Steelworkers Union, which includes the Mon Valley Works.

No money has been specifically committed to the Clairton Works, however.

The Clairton Works is one of a small number of operating coke-producing facilities in Pennsylvania. Nestled on the western shore of a bend in the Monongahela River, it produces coke, a fuel critical for steel-making.

Barber said PennEnvironment’s goal is to continue lowering the levels of toxins coming from the plant.

“We certainly hope through future actions we can continue ratcheting down emissions so everyone has clean air to breathe,” Barber said.

Editor’s note: The original version of this story was changed to reflect that there is more than one coke-producing facility operating in Pennsylvania.