Letter to the editor: Speak up in support of EPA’s new pollution rules

Even taking a breath of air isn’t something Pittsburghers can take for granted. Allegheny County ranks within the top 2% of the worst counties nationwide for cancer risk from industrial air pollution, so it’s vital to protect our communities from these impacts.

Allegheny County’s most polluting plant, U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, released 1.1 million pounds of pollution in 2021. Among these pollutants is a cancer-causing chemical called benzene. Clairton Coke Works churned out over 30,000 pounds of this carcinogen benzene into Pennsylvania air. Due to the sheer amount of this toxic chemical released and its link to cancer, it’s critical that we protect public health by minimizing these emissions.

The EPA is cracking down on pollution with a plan that has the potential to make strides to reduce pollution emissions and establish new limits on previously unregulated emissions. More specifically, this new EPA policy would require Clariton to reduce its benzene levels by 90%.

We have a critical opportunity to tackle air pollution. The EPA is still accepting public feedback on this rule until Oct. 2 — get your voice heard to protect the health of our communities: bit.ly/EPAcoke.

Ana Rowley

Mt. Lebanon