North America’s largest coke plant sits on the west bank of Pennsylvania’s Monongahela River, sending pollutants into neighborhoods about a mile from Clairton Elementary School. Researchers found children who attend that school and others near major pollution sources in Pennsylvania have higher asthma rates than peers statewide.
A Biden-era EPA rule intended to curb emissions from coke oven plants would have tightened limits on leaks from oven lids and doors and required benzene monitoring at property lines, with compliance deadlines in July 2025. The rule aimed to reduce releases of benzene, a carcinogen linked to leukemia, and sulfur dioxide, which can trigger severe asthma.
Before the rule took effect, President Trump granted all 11 active U.S. coke plants — including Clairton Coke Works — a two-year exemption from the standards. The administration also invited hundreds of industrial facilities to seek presidential waivers from multiple 2024 EPA rules. The moves reflect a broader rollback of environmental protections that White House officials say protects jobs and gives industry time to adopt needed technology. “Forcing plants to comply before the tools exist doesn’t make the air cleaner, it just shuts down facilities and kills jobs,” EPA spokesperson Brigit Hirsch said.
Environmental and public health advocates strongly disagree. They argue the exemptions will prolong pollution that harms nearby residents and increases health care costs. “The Trump administration’s relentless actions to dismantle lifesaving environmental protections are a gut punch to the administration’s own promise to Make America Healthy Again,” said Cathleen Kelly, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
KFF Health News analysis found six of the 11 active coke plants had “high priority” Clean Air Act violations as of May, and five logged major violations every quarter for at least three straight years. Nearly 300,000 people live within three miles of the 11 plants, according to EPA data compiled by the Environmental Defense Fund.
Clairton’s plant, sprawling across nearly 400 acres, heats coal to about 2,000 degrees to produce coke used in steelmaking — a process that releases hazardous air pollutants. The facility has a long record of operational problems, including fatal explosions and repeated excess emissions. Since 2022, Clairton’s violations stemming largely from a 2018 fire have resulted in more than $56 million in fines from the Allegheny County Health Department, and the plant reported Clean Air Act violations in each of 12 consecutive quarters through mid-2025.
U.S. Steel, acquired by Nippon Steel Corp. and now a subsidiary of that company, said it spends $100 million annually on environmental compliance at Clairton. “Environmental stewardship is a core value at U. S. Steel, and we remain committed to the safety of our communities,” spokesperson Andrew Fulton said. Nippon Steel pledged upgrades at Monongahela River Valley facilities when the acquisition closed.
Local residents and clinicians describe longstanding health effects they link to the plant. Dr. Deborah Gentile, a pediatric allergist, studied about 1,200 children who attend schools near major pollution sites, including Clairton Elementary, and found nearly triple the national asthma rate, with particularly high prevalence among African American youth. A follow-up study linked elevated sulfur dioxide levels to an 80% higher chance of school absenteeism among children with asthma. “We were shocked,” Gentile said. “It was double or triple what we expected. The people are proud of their industrial background. We need steel, but they’re not running a good enough operation.”
Allegheny County overall has been tied to elevated pollution-related health burdens: researchers have associated the region’s air pollution with increased deaths, chronic heart disease, and adverse birth outcomes. Clairton’s age-adjusted cancer death rate is 170 per 100,000 people, higher than the broader county’s 150 per 100,000, based on KFF Health News analysis of state and federal data. The American Lung Association gave the county an F rating for particle pollution in 2025. Environmental groups say the Clairton coke operation accounted for roughly 1.1 million pounds of toxic releases in 2021, about 60% of such releases in the county that year.
The plant also provides economic benefits: Clairton supports about 1,200 manufacturing jobs and generates hundreds of millions in tax revenue, with estimates pointing to nearly $3 billion in annual economic output tied to the facility. For many residents, jobs and local economy weigh heavily against the costs of pollution.
Politics complicate the issue. The Trump administration has framed waivers and rollbacks as part of a broader agenda to revive coal and heavy industry, advancing policies meant to reduce regulatory burdens on manufacturers. That stance has appealed to some voters and industry groups, but it has also alienated members of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and other health-focused constituencies who expected stronger environmental protections. Some MAHA supporters were angered by a presidential order promoting glyphosate-based herbicides and by EPA shifts that deprioritize health-related economic benefits of pollution reduction and rescind scientific bases that treated greenhouse gases as public-health threats.
Observers say the administration’s balancing act—delivering wins for industry while claiming to champion health-focused populist goals—could produce political fallout. “A significant number of people who supported Trump are worried these rollbacks are going to hurt their health,” said Max Burns, a Democratic strategist. Northeastern University public policy professor Christopher Bosso noted tensions among MAHA supporters disappointed by perceived industry favoritism.
Local activists and officials have continued to press for stronger enforcement. “Poisoning continues to some of the most vulnerable residents of Allegheny County,” said David Meckel, a former Glassport resident, at a county meeting about the plant. Allegheny County Health Department spokesperson Ronnie Das said the county is “deeply concerned with exemptions, which allow air toxics to affect public health.”
The EPA under the Trump administration defends its approach as pragmatic and protective of jobs while pointing to other actions aimed at chemical safety, PFAS, and drinking water. But environmental advocates warn that rolling back or delaying implementation of pollution controls will likely prolong exposure to known toxicants, exacerbate chronic disease burdens, and increase health care costs for surrounding communities.
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the intersection of industry priorities, regulatory rollbacks, community health, and politics remains a flashpoint in Clairton and similar towns across the country. KFF Health News is a national newsroom producing in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF, an independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.