U.S. Steel Settles Environmental Claims with $4.5M Payment and $19.5M Facility Upgrade

The settlement follows the 2018 Clairton Plant fire, with funds to be used for improving public health and air quality in the Mon Valley region.

U.S. Steel Corp. has agreed to pay $4.5 million to Pittsburgh-area communities as part of a legal settlement to address environmental impacts following the 2018 Clairton Plant fire and two subsequent power outages.
The major steel producer reached terms with the Allegheny County Health Department, Clean Air Council, and PennEnvironment, on a multi-million dollar plan to improve public health and air quality in the Mon Valley region in southwestern Pennsylvania.
U.S. Steel will invest an additional $19.5 million to upgrade its steelmaking facility in an effort to reduce harmful carbon emissions that are produced during the coking process.
As part of the deal, U.S. Steel will cover part of the litigation costs for PennEnvironment and Clean Air Council, and pay $500,000 to the Allegheny County Clean Air Fund.
U.S. Steel plans to permanently shutter the Clairton Plant, which has been on hot idle since the 2018 inferno, but the closure is not expected to affect any jobs, the company said.