McConway and Torley, LLC (M&T) and the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) have finalized an agreement regarding air emission reductions at M&T’s Lawrenceville steel foundry.
M&T has operated its Lawrenceville foundry since the 1860s. The foundry manufactures steel castings and employs 273 individuals. GASP is a Pittsburgh-based environmental nonprofit that has worked on air quality issues in southwestern Pennsylvania for more than 40 years.
In January 2011 the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) issued an air permit for the reactivation of an electric arc furnace at the Lawrenceville foundry. GASP appealed the permit based on concerns about potential emissions of heavy metals from the facility. M&T approached GASP to collaborate on a potential solution to the potential air quality issue.
M&T and GASP agreed to supplemental emission controls over and above those required by the Environmental Protection Agency or ACHD, including a more effective collection hood on the existing furnace and membrane fabric filters on the furnace baghouses.
The improvements further reduce emissions of particulate matter and heavy metals from the facility. The agreement allows M&T to proceed with its planned plant modernization, simultaneously providing more manufacturing jobs and improved air quality.
“This agreement once again disproves the notion that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are incompatible,” said Rachel Filippini, GASP’s executive director.
M&T and GASP are pleased with the working relationship they have established and the additional air pollution reductions that will result from this agreement.
CONTACT:
Group Against Smog & Pollution Joe Osborne GASP Legal Director 412-325-7382 joe@gasp-pgh.org
McConway & Torley David Margulies 214-368-0909 davidm@prexperts.net