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SamPost t1_j2a5vgg wrote

Reply to comment by lrube in [Serious] What can be done to stop the Clairton mill? by NickySmithFromPGH

Nonsense. The violations are completely acknowledged and documented. The ACHD doesn't have to do any "work" except file a Clean Air Act lawsuit, and a criminal one as well. For hundreds of millions, as per other national cases. Not the small fines they go after which amount to a cheap license to pollute.

They don't do so at political direction. More pay is just rewarding them for not doing their job.

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lrube t1_j2a6gn2 wrote

That’s literally not how it works. It is an administrative agency.

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lrube t1_j2a83r4 wrote

Please go read the ACHD rules and regulations. You are thinking of a citizens suit under the clean air act. Criminal fines can be filed but they are actually not as high. And again it doesn’t matter because US Steel appeals everything. They appeal new permits, their fines, regulation changes etc. Go look at the ACHD Dockets. Cases are years old. US steel has a lot of money to fight the appeals.

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geoffh2016 t1_j2axwix wrote

Out of curiosity, is there anything that can be done at the county level to increase the fines? We’ve seen fines against US Steel, but they’re generally in the tens of thousands, which is incredibly small for that size of a business. Can the county increase the size of fine (e.g., through ahem changes in the county government)?

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lrube t1_j2ayif0 wrote

It takes regulation changes. But also some of the fines that you see aren’t for the major violations. And there also settlement agreements that have stipulated penalties which require them to pay quarterly.

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SamPost t1_j2ay24m wrote

You say that like it means something. The EPA is an administrative agency and is responsible for the largest pollutions lawsuits ever filed or awarded.

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