Documents from a lawsuit regarding the 2018 Christmas Eve Fire at the Clairton Coke Works show problems went undetected for years; conditions at the plant were described as “decrepit” and “alarming.”
When the coke plant in Monessen started back up in September, so did the air quality complaints. Its previous owner agreed to a nearly $2 million settlement for air violations.
It's back to the drawing board for a rule to define which streams, wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act after a judge found the Trump-era rule risks "serious environmental harm."
The agency didn't issue Shell a fine for "probable violations" along sections of the Falcon pipeline but instead ordered the company to fix the problem.
The Forward Township planning commission unanimously rejected a challenge to rezone the property to allow for coal mining. Community members in attendance were "100 percent against" the mine.
Reid R. Frazier covers energy for The Allegheny Front. His work has taken him as far away as Texas and Louisiana to report on the petrochemical industry and as close to home as Greene County, Pennsylvania to cover the shale gas boom. His award-winning work has also aired on NPR, Marketplace and other outlets. Reid is currently contributing to StateImpact Pennsylvania, a collaboration among The Allegheny Front, WESA, WITF and WHYY covering the Commonwealth's energy economy.
