On the west bank of the Monongahela River, North America’s largest coke plant towers over neighborhoods about a mile from Clairton Elementary School. The plant’s operations release hazardous pollutants into nearby communities; researchers have found students at Clairton and other schools near major industrial sources in Pennsylvania have higher asthma rates than peers statewide.
A Biden-era EPA rule designed to tighten emissions controls at coke oven facilities would have required stricter limits on leaks from oven lids and doors and mandated benzene monitoring at property lines, with compliance deadlines set for July 2025. The rule aimed to curb releases of benzene, a carcinogen linked to leukemia, and sulfur dioxide, which can provoke severe asthma attacks.
Before that rule took effect, the Trump administration granted a two-year exemption to all 11 active U.S. coke plants — including Clairton Coke Works — and invited hundreds of other industrial sites to seek presidential waivers from several 2024 EPA rules. The White House framed the moves as protecting jobs and giving industry time to adopt new 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 disagree. They warn that exemptions will prolong pollution that harms residents and raises 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 recorded major violations every quarter for at least three straight years. EPA data compiled by the Environmental Defense Fund show nearly 300,000 people live within three miles of those 11 plants.
Clairton’s facility, which spans nearly 400 acres and heats coal to roughly 2,000 degrees to make coke for steelmaking, has a long record of operational problems: fatal explosions, repeated excess emissions and other violations. Since 2022, problems tied largely to a 2018 fire have resulted in more than $56 million in fines from the Allegheny County Health Department, and Clairton reported Clean Air Act violations in each of 12 consecutive quarters through mid-2025.
U.S. Steel — now a subsidiary of Nippon Steel Corp. — says it spends $100 million a year 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 clinicians and residents describe persistent health impacts they associate with the plant. Pediatric allergist Dr. Deborah Gentile studied about 1,200 children who attend schools near major pollution sites, including Clairton Elementary, and found asthma rates nearly triple the national average, 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.”
Researchers have also tied Allegheny County’s air pollution to higher overall mortality, chronic heart disease and adverse birth outcomes. KFF Health News analysis of state and federal data shows Clairton’s age-adjusted cancer death rate at 170 per 100,000 people, higher than the county’s rate of 150 per 100,000. The American Lung Association gave the county an F grade for particle pollution in 2025. Environmental groups say the Clairton operation accounted for about 1.1 million pounds of toxic releases in 2021, roughly 60% of the county’s reported toxic releases that year.
At the same time, the plant supports the local economy: roughly 1,200 manufacturing jobs, hundreds of millions in tax revenue and estimates that link nearly $3 billion in annual economic output to the facility. For many residents, those economic benefits weigh heavily against the health and environmental costs.
Politics further complicate the debate. The Trump administration has presented rollbacks and waivers as part of a wider agenda to revive coal and heavy industry by reducing regulatory burdens. That posture has resonated with some voters and industry groups but alienated other supporters, including some in the Make America Healthy Again movement, who expected stronger environmental protections. Some MAHA backers were also upset by a presidential order promoting glyphosate-based herbicides and EPA decisions that deprioritize health-related economic benefits of pollution reduction and rescind scientific conclusions about greenhouse gases as public-health threats.
Observers say the administration’s effort to balance industry relief and health-focused populism 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 favoritism toward industry.
Local activists and officials continue to press for tougher enforcement. “Poisoning continues to some of the most vulnerable residents of Allegheny County,” said David Meckel, a former Glassport resident, at a county meeting. 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 citing other initiatives on chemical safety, PFAS and drinking water. Environmental advocates counter that delaying or rolling back pollution controls will likely prolong exposure to known toxicants, worsen chronic disease burdens and increase health care costs for surrounding communities.
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the clash between 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.