As an air quality watchdog group from way back (1969, to be exact), GASP has been witness to decades of drama between U.S. Steel Corp. and the government agencies tasked with regulating it.
We helped lead the charge against U.S. Steel and other polluters when their smokestacks belched out so much air pollution that Pittsburgh was famously referred to as “hell with the lid off.” We were there in the 1970s when a killer inversion prompted the first of what would be decades of discussion about the need to mitigate air pollution during episodic weather events.
Fast forward to 2019, and GASP was among those demanding answers in the wake of a Christmas Eve fire that ripped through U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, knocking out air pollution-control devices for more than three months (and all the things that followed that).
GASP was NOT there, however, for the U.S. Steel origin story - during those first days and decades of the company’s presence here in our region. And that’s a story worth learning about and better understanding.
That’s why we’re honored to team up with Pittsburgh Community TV to broadcast a three-part podcast by one of our very own board members - Chie Togami - that explores the relationship between Pittsburgh, U.S. Steel, and the people and places that have figured prominently in the past 120 years of the company’s existence.
“Considering that Pittsburgh is at the epicenter of a pending multi-billion U.S. Steel sale, we thought it was an opportune time to draw attention to the company’s history,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “In the story of steel, our Mon Valley neighbor has long been a villain.”
Editor’s Note: HUGE thank you to our friends at PCTV. For those who may not be familiar, at more than 30 years and counting, PCTV is among the oldest public access media organizations in the United States.
PCTV has served thousands of Pittsburgh residents and non-profits, giving them low-cost access to media production tools and the ability to broadcast to households throughout Pittsburgh and the world. Check out their work and give them a follow on social media!