01 March 2018
LCV says Carlos Curbelo’s climate change record took a step back
Miami Republican Carlos Curbelo’s climate-change record took a step back in the eyes of the League of Conservation Voters in 2017.
www.miamiherald.com
Just three facilities near Pittsburgh cost the state $16 million in lost economic activity annually, according to a new report.
PITTSBURGH — Pollution from Pennsylvania’s three remaining coal-based steelmaking plants cause an estimated 50 to 92 premature deaths each year, according to a new report.
The report, published by Industrious Labs, an environmental advocacy organization focused on decarbonizing heavy industry, looked at pollution and health data to estimate the total, facility-level, and state-level costs of the 17 coal-based steelmaking plants that are still in operation across the U.S., located in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan and Virginia.
Coal-based steelmaking involves heating coal to extremely high temperatures to convert it to coke, a key ingredient in steelmaking. The process emits large volumes of toxic pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM2.5), benzene and lead compounds. Exposure to coke oven emissions is linked to cancer, respiratory disease and heart disease.
“Steel communities have been sounding the alarm on harmful air pollution for years, and this report quantifies just how devastating and far-reaching the consequences are,” Hilary Lewis, steel director at Industrious Labs, said in a statement.
Pennsylvania has three coal-based steel plants in operation, all of which are located near Pittsburgh: U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works and Edgar Thomson Mill, and Cleveland-Cliff’s Monessen plant.
According to the report, every year these three facilities in southwestern Pennsylvania cause an estimated:
U.S. Steel has been fined more than $20 million for Clean Air Act violations at its Pittsburgh-area facilities since 2018, and the company recently settled a lawsuit with environmental advocacy groups for about $25 million over more than 12,000 air permit violations in the region.
The company’s failure to maintain its Pennsylvania facilities has resulted in both chronic and acute health problems for communities around the plants.
“It's completely unacceptable and untenable for a community to be subjected to thousands of violations of the Clean Air Act for decades,” Matt Mehalik, executive director of the Breathe Project, a coalition of more than 40 environmental advocacy groups in the region, told EHN.
U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works alone is responsible for up to 66 premature deaths, 41 emergency room visits for respiratory problems, 18,664 asthma symptoms and 5,786 missed school days, according to the report.
The report also found that Allegheny County, which is home to U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works and Edgar Thomson Mill, ranks eighth for health risks among all Pennsylvania counties. Westmoreland County, home to Cleveland-Cliffs Monessen, ranks ninth.
"For decades, communities near steel and coke plants have been forced to choose between their health and good jobs, enduring toxic pollution, chronic illnesses, and premature deaths," Yong Kwon, senior policy advisor for the Industrial Transformation Campaign at the Sierra Club, said in a statement.
Industrious Labs used self-reported industry data collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a risk assessment modeling tool from the agency for its report.
Beyond Pennsylvania, the analysis found the 17 remaining coal-based facilities in the U.S. are estimated to cause up to 892 premature deaths, 250,500 cases of asthma symptoms, and $13.2 billion in health costs.
In 2020 alone, these 17 plants released an estimated:
The EPA is in the process of finalizing new regulations for coke plants meant to curb harmful emissions, but the industry has pushed back against these rules, while health advocates say they aren’t stringent enough.
“The EPA has consistently failed to safeguard the health of these communities from the dangers of coal-based steelmaking,” Lewis said. “It’s time for stronger regulations that recognize the opportunity of cleaner steelmaking technologies and tougher enforcement of penalties on polluters to truly protect public health.”
Many steel companies are shifting toward cleaner steelmaking. About 70% of steel produced in the country is made with electric arc furnaces, which do not use coal, while the remaining 30% still use coal.
But U.S. Steel — and Japan-based Nippon Steel, which is working to acquire U.S. Steel — have both fallen behind when it comes to cleaner steelmaking.
"By embracing cleaner technologies, we can prevent harmful pollution while also securing good jobs in the growing green economy, ensuring that no one has to choose between a healthy environment and a strong livelihood,” said Kwon.
The restart of fracking in Dimock, Pennsylvania has sparked outrage among residents whose water became dangerously contaminated years ago, as political candidates continue to support the industry.
In short:
Key quote:
“We are back to square one from before the moratorium came into effect – there’s massive drilling like crazy. I don’t care who you are, rich, poor, or whatever, without water and clean air and clean soil, we’re all freaking dead.”
— Ray Kemble, Dimock resident.
Why this matters:
Fracking-related pollution in Dimock shows the ongoing risks of hydraulic fracturing for local communities. While politicians court voters in this energy-heavy state, the health and environmental impacts of fracking persist.
Related EHN coverage: In the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, new poll finds 90% of respondents support stricter fracking regulations
The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the wildest places in the U.S., is at stake as local communities and environmentalists clash over oil and gas development on the land.
Juliet Eilperin, Carolyn Van Houten, and Alice Li report for The Washington Post.
In short:
Key quote:
“The refuge with development is a city. … If we lose these big areas of public lands, we will lose these species.”
— Martin Robards, regional director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Arctic Beringia Program
Why this matters:
For now, the Arctic refuge remains caught between two futures. The stakes aren’t just about local jobs or energy independence—they’re about the survival of one of the last true wildernesses and the traditional way of life that depends on it. Read more: Biden’s Arctic drilling go-ahead illustrates the limits of democratic problem solving.
Finance ministers meeting after recent hurricanes and flooding highlights the growing tension between economic growth and the urgent need to address the climate crisis.
In short:
Key quote:
"Our planet is trying to tell us something. But we don’t seem to be listening."
— António Guterres, UN Secretary-General.
Why this matters:
The tension between economic growth and climate action continues to stall meaningful solutions. If current trends continue, both rich and poor nations will face irreversible climate consequences, including more severe weather events.
Related:
Recent hurricanes in southwest Florida have shattered the hopes of many Latino immigrants, who had moved there seeking affordable homes and businesses, only to face severe storm damage.
In short:
Key quote:
“Where do we go to hide, if the weather is doing this everywhere?”
— Dailyn Madrigal, Fort Myers resident and business owner
Why this matters:
As climate change fuels more powerful storms, vulnerable communities, like immigrant families in Florida, are being hit hardest. Repeated disasters threaten to erode their economic stability and American Dream, raising questions about preparedness and resilience in storm-prone areas.
A new Maryland law aimed at protecting consumers from deceptive energy practices is facing a legal challenge from energy companies, who claim the rules violate their First Amendment rights and impose unfair regulations.
In short:
Key quote:
“The First Amendment does not restrict disclosures and protections to prevent customers from being misled into bad decisions.”
— David Lapp, Maryland’s People’s Counsel
Why this matters:
Unregulated energy markets can lead to deceptive pricing, especially affecting vulnerable consumers. The lawsuit challenges Maryland’s efforts to curb misleading energy practices, potentially limiting consumer protections for green energy products.
Incumbent Christi Craddick is running for re-election as the chair of the Texas Railroad Commission, while challengers argue the agency isn’t doing enough to regulate the oil and gas industry.
In short:
Key quote:
“We need to protect our water, and we need to do whatever is possible to make sure that we are not threatening any of our groundwater and our drinking water across the state.”
— Katherine Culbert, Democratic candidate for Texas Railroad Commission.
Why this matters:
Texas is the largest oil-producing state in the U.S., and the Texas Railroad Commission’s decisions directly impact environmental safety, water quality and the state’s role in climate change mitigation.
Related: Texas debates over new oil and gas waste rule heat up
“Chemicals are really at the center of this triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity and climate change.”
“Las sustancias químicas están realmente en el centro de esta triple crisis planetaria de contaminación, biodiversidad y cambio climático”.
Groups are choosing to repair broken lines of communication and visualize the transition for its true potential to mitigate climate change – the common enemy.
Environmental activists are struggling with paranoia, panic attacks, and depression. Now, a growing network of mental health shelters in South America hopes to fill a void in care.
"At some point, they will kill you and kill all of us," environmental leader Yuvelis Natalia Morales Blanco was told.
An EHN analysis finds nearly half were related to flaring.