Steel is an essential material for modern life, but facilities that produce steel are also major sources of hazardous air pollution and greenhouse gases. To help control this pollution, the Biden EPA issued regulations for steel mills and plants that produce coke, an essential ingredient in steelmaking. These rules strengthen emissions limits for hazardous air pollution and require air pollution monitoring around the perimeter of these facilities for specific air toxics — namely, benzene at coke plants and chromium at steel mills. Despite the proven effectiveness of fenceline monitoring, the Trump Administration is delaying the implementation of these new rules and may repeal them. Examination of EPA data shows that 85 percent of steel and coke plants included in the Environmental Integrity Project’s analysis were in noncompliance with the Clean Air Act in the last three years.
The accompanying storymap with facts about local steel industry facilities and quotes from local residents can be found here.
