Latest news with #RiskManagementProgram
UPI
5 days ago
- UPI
Gas valve failure cited in deadly explosion at U.S. Steel plant
Authorities responded to the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works after an explosion on Monday, where two people were killed and 10 others were injured. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo Aug. 16 (UPI) -- The deadly explosion in the Steel Clairton Coke Works near Pittsburgh occurred when a gas valve was flushed in preparation of planned maintenance, U.S. Steel said in preliminary findings. Two people died and 10 people were hospitalized on Monday in the explosion at the plant about 15 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Black smoke could be seen for miles. "Pressure built inside the valve, leading to valve failure and coke oven gas filling the area and ultimately exploding when finding an ignition source," U.S. Steel spokeswoman Amanda Malkowski said in the statement to KDKA-TV and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Workers were charging ovens and pushing coke out of them as part of normal operations, Executive Vice President Scott Buckiso said at a news conference earlier this week. "We want to reinforce that this investigation is in its early stages, and we will provide more information when we can," Malkowski added. "Our focus remains on our employees and their families during this difficult time." She said company employees, agencies and experts have been reviewing video and interviewing workers. "I thought something like this would take two to four to five months for it to unfold," Calirton Mayor Rich Lattanzi said Friday. "I'm thinking what they found is a smoking gun." JoJo Burgess, who works at the plant and is mayor of nearby Washington, said he wants more information. "Did someone know before it happened, so that they could have tried to stop the process?" he told KDKA-TV. Bernie Hall, director of United Steelworkers District 10, said the union needs to learn more before speculating. The explosion occurred around 11 a.m. Monday at the plant. Two people were initially reported missing, but the workers' bodies were found in the rubble. Killed were Timothy Quinn, 39, who lived with his disabled mother, and Bryan Dascani, 52, who was married and had two daughters, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Three other people remain in critical condition. On Monday, U.S. Steel said the initial blast occurred inside the reversing room for batteries 13 and 14. Secondary explosions ensued but those blasts didn't injure anyone. U.S. Steel CEO Dave Burritt said local, state and federal personnel are investigating, including the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro said during a news conference he wants Clairton and its surrounding communities to be protected. The blast could be felt miles away. The Clairton plant settled a 2017 suit for $8.5 million over pollution, including $6.5 million to reduce soot emissions and noxious odors, CNN reported. WTAE-TV uncovered past violations and injury reports at the plant over the past decades. The Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Management Program enforcement analysis found that over five years, the plant was listed in "high priority violation" of the Clean Air Act and 32 "formal enforcement actions." This is four times more violations than at similar places at the same time. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration found the plant had nine serious injury reports as of early 2024. They include trips and falls, resulting in broken bones or cuts. There are around 1,300 workers at the plant. "U.S. Steel had a record-setting safety performance in 2024 and an over 99% environmental compliance record. Safety is our top priority every single day," the company said in a statement. "Over the last five years, U. S. Steel has invested over $750 million in improvement projects at its Mon Valley Works facilities, including roughly $100 million annually being spent at the Clairton facility on environmental compliance." The company's headquarters are in Pittsburgh. U.S. Steel, which was founded in 1901, has about 22,000 employees with revenue of $15.6 billion in 2024.
Washington Post
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
EPA pauses Biden's new chemical disaster protections
The Environmental Protection Agency is rewriting a rule providing safeguards to prevent accidents at chemical plants, according to a motion filed on Thursday in federal court, a move that would affect nearly 12,000 chemical facilities around the country. The EPA asked the D.C. Court of Appeals to pause legal challenges to safety regulations introduced during the Biden administration while it 'undertakes a new rulemaking,' without specifying how it would change them. The stricter standards established under the Biden administration were set to go into effect next year, and be fully implemented by May 2027. The new updates to the federal 'Risk Management Program,' first reported by the Hill, would force operations with the most hazardous substances to evaluate and implement safer technologies, and require all facilities to account for how to respond to natural disasters in their emergency plans. It also required companies to provide more transparency about the chemicals they store with local communities and first responders, and to offer greater employee protections. The agency did not respond to questions Friday, referring to the court filing, which said the new rule will be written 'in light of the new Administration's policy priorities.' The first Trump administration weakened the rule, which was established under the Obama administration, allowing companies to store chemicals on-site without having to inform the public and letting facilities operate without undertaking measures aimed at preventing accidents. The American Chemistry Council, an industry trade group that challenged the rule, did not provide direct comment, instead referring to a joint letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in January. 'The 2024 rule imposes misguided and illegal new requirements that fail to make facilities safer,' the letter said. 'Urgent action is needed to address these problems before industry must make costly investments in preparation for the looming compliance deadline.' In addition, the letter called on the EPA to shut down a public tool that allows communities to look up details about chemical facilities across the country, including information on past chemical accidents, arguing that the 'disclosure of this sensitive security information to anyone with an internet connection creates additional security risks.' Environmental advocates criticized the EPA's move, arguing that weakening the rules will put communities at risk of more incidents. 'We've been here before, and the losers are always the families, workers and first responders,' said Adam Kron, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, an environmental law firm. 'The EPA should be implementing its chemical disaster safety, not rolling it back.' Despite safety rules, dangerous accidents occur regularly at U.S. chemical plants. According to the most recent EPA data, some 177 million Americans could be affected by chemical disasters under worst-case scenarios.
USA Today
09-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Daily briefing: Thousands in Louisville live close to plants handling risky chemicals
Daily briefing: Thousands in Louisville live close to plants handling risky chemicals Good morning, Louisville! Happy Super Bowl Sunday! (You can read today's version of the eNewspaper here.) Today we can expect it to be mostly cloudy with a high near 42. Here are the top headlines: Thousands of Louisville residents live close to industrial facilities handling high quantities of hazardous chemicals, The Courier Journal found in an analysis of local and federal data. This development pattern — a relic of Louisville's industrial heritage — leaves only a few hundred feet and a chain link fence between homes and some of the city's most high-risk industrial operations. About 1 in 50 Louisville residents, more than 16,000 people, live in the same census block group as Risk Management Program facilities, which are designated by federal regulations for handling 'flammable or extremely hazardous chemicals.' Read more from Courier Journal reporter Connor Giffin. In other news: JCPS: Jefferson County Public Schools will implement a nontraditional instruction day Monday due to rising absences from illness, district spokesperson Carolyn Callahan said in a statement. Learn more here. Jefferson County Public Schools will implement a nontraditional instruction day Monday due to rising absences from illness, district spokesperson Carolyn Callahan said in a statement. Learn more here. Politics: The Kentucky legislature passed — and Gov. Andy Beshear signed — House Bill 1, which reduces the state's individual income tax from 4% to 3.5%. Find out more. The Kentucky legislature passed — and Gov. Andy Beshear signed — House Bill 1, which reduces the state's individual income tax from 4% to 3.5%. Find out more. McConnell: Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is "fine" after reportedly falling Wednesday in the Senate in Washington, D.C., a spokesperson said. Read more here. From the Sports Desk Don't forget to check out this year's Super Bowl commercials ahead of time with USA TODAY's Ad Meter. Here's how to see the ads before they air and grade each on a scale of 1 to 5 to determine this year's winner. Featured Gallery A 'Stop Elon Musk' rally featuring Congressman Morgan McGarvey, community leaders, and local organizations was held Saturday to raise alarm about President Donald Trump and Musk's agenda. See our gallery created by Courier Journal photographer Scott Utterback. We'll be back tomorrow with more headlines. Have a great week ahead, Stephanie
