Editorial: The balancing act between regulation and condemnation
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Allegheny County Health Department levied $859,000 in fines against U.S. Steel this week, citing 2021 violations at the Clairton Coke Works.
It isn’t the largest fine the department has hung on the company. In 2019, the company was tagged with a $2.7 million fine. It is, however, significantly larger than the $201,500 in 2021 and $361,000 in 2020.
It comes three years after U.S. Steel announced a $1 billion investment in the Clairton facility, including major emissions mitigation upgrades. Those investments were walked back in 2021 as CEO David Burritt said the project was being set aside to “meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.”
It also comes just weeks after U.S. Steel announced an even bigger investment — $3 billion into an Arkansas facility that comes with a generous incentive package from that state.
“The investment and high-paying jobs that will result from this announcement will make a real difference in the lives of many families in Northeast Arkansas,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in January.
This points to the intrinsic challenge of being home to a major industry — whether one that has grown in the backyard for more than 100 years or one that was courted and transplanted the way every state and community tries to do.
How do you juggle the need to keep those companies happy and the responsibility to police their effect on the community?
The size of the employer and the economic impact can show an imbalance of power and make those looking to protect the people appear as the bad guys. However, it doesn’t help anyone to tiptoe around important issues.
State, county and municipal governments and their agencies are charged to enforce the regulations that keep people and communities safe. They have an obligation to do so fairly and equitably.
When the $1 billion upgrades were pulled back, U.S. Steel in part blamed the county health department and its permitting process. State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, said the department was bullied by environmental groups.
But those same environmental groups have accused the department of dragging its feet in taking action.
Officials can’t be afraid to offend a big business or be motivated by anything other than enforcing regulations entrusted to them. While balancing the interests, they can’t forget that the ultimate responsibility is to the people.