“That plant will be around for a very, very long time,” U.S. Steel CEO Dave Burritt told reporters as investigations into the blast’s source continue.
Amid ongoing investigations into the cause of a deadly explosion that tore through U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works near Pittsburgh earlier this month, some concerns remain about air quality and safety.
U.S. Steel announced plans Tuesday to begin removing coke from ovens at the Clairton facility. The work, scheduled to start on Wednesday, will allow crews to inspect the ovens for damage and determine whether they can be repaired.
The process is expected to take several days, and while no elevated non-particulate pollution is expected, the company noted there could be some release of ashy particles during removal. Officials say mitigation efforts are in place, and the Allegheny County Health Department is being kept informed.
Allegheny County previously deployed mobile air monitoring units to the Mon Valley in the aftermath of the explosion, with support from Carnegie Mellon University and the state. The units track volatile organic compounds, PM2.5, and sulfur dioxide to an extent beyond the plant’s usual monitoring systems.
Dr. Deborah Gentile, the medical director of Community Partners in Asthma Care, praised the move, adding that the general public “has no idea what is going on at the facility.”
“The current regulatory monitors are in fixed locations, and many residents live in closer proximity to the plant than these stationary monitors,” she said. “Having monitors in additional locations will help identify if there are any exceedances of the criteria pollutants.”
The Clairton facility, the largest coking operation in North America, has long been under scrutiny for its environmental and worker safety record. Explosions in 2009 and 2010 similarly resulted in fatalities and major injuries, while a 2018 fire led to significant air quality violations and a $24.5 million settlement for environmental upgrades and community aid.
Pittsburgh attorney John Gismondi, who represented victims of past explosions, said bluntly: “There was no question in both of those cases we established that appropriate safety protocols weren’t followed, and that’s what led to the explosions.
“There’s a lot of gas on the premises,” Gismondi added. “That’s fine, it’s part and parcel of what they do. But gas is a dangerous substance, and you need to make sure safety protocols are being followed.”
While noting the company’s goal of sharing developing information with affected families and employees before the media, a U.S. Steel press release has indicated that the current theory of what caused the explosion is a malfunction while flushing a gas valve ahead of scheduled maintenance.
“Pressure built inside the valve, leading to valve failure and coke oven gas filling the area and ultimately exploding when finding an ignition source,” the release explains.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, who met with the victims’ families before addressing the media, said the facility’s staff are owed a “full accounting” as to how the tragedy occurred. The incident has come on the heels of months of tension between the governor and U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt after President Trump approved the company’s nearly $15 billion deal with Japan’s Nippon Steel.
Though the explosion has shaken the community and workers across U.S. Steel, Burritt remains confident the plant will bounce back, even telling the Washington Post, “That plant will be around for a very, very long time.”
