The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced Tuesday that U.S. Steel has appealed the most recent civil penalty.
The $337,670 penalty was issued by ACHD on May 10 for continued emissions problems at the Clairton Coke Works facility for the first quarter of 2019.
In the appeal, U.S. Steel alleges—among other things—that ACHD inspectors “failed to conduct proper, fair, and unbiased evaluations.”
Further, lawyers for U.S. Steel alleged that “inaccurate data misrepresented the…compliance status and results in an unjustifiable penalty assessment.”
In the release, ACHD said it is reviewing the appeal to determine the next course of action and will notify the public as additional information becomes available.
GASP is disappointed but not surprised by the appeal.
“Again, it looks like U.S. Steel would rather pay to fight the health department and tie things up in court than take responsibility for the air pollution they create and work diligently to reduce their impact on the community,” Executive Director Rachel Filippini said.