Press Release

September 08, 2025

US Steel Gary Works Air Permit Modification Fails to Protect Public Health

Gary, IN – The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) submitted comments to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) on U.S. Steel’s Significant Permit Modification application for its Title V air permit at the Gary Works facility, stating the proposed changes fail to set reasonable emissions limits and lack the transparency needed to protect public health.

Read ELPC Factsheet

The proposed modification would revise the sections of U.S. Steel’s Title V permit that regulate the pig iron caster unit’s particulate matter (PM) emissions. Particulate matter is a dangerous pollutant which causes increased rates asthma, heart attacks, and premature death. ELPC identified several specific concerns:

• The compliance equation used to determine whether U.S. Steel is meeting PM limits is unclear, unenforceable, and does not account for fugitive emissions.
• The proposal requires PM emissions testing only once every five years, insufficient to ensure ongoing compliance.
• Part of the pig iron production process would be removed from the permit’s fugitive emissions listing based solely on U.S. Steel’s visual observation, an unreliable method for determining actual emissions.
• The modification may underestimate the unit’s potential PM emissions and does not establish reasonable PM limits.

“These proposed modifications fail to set reasonable particulate matter emissions limits and make it difficult for IDEM and the public to know whether U.S. Steel is complying with those limits,” said Elise Zaniker, Associate Attorney with ELPC. “The public has a right to know how much particulate matter this unit will emit and whether U.S. Steel is complying with its Title V air permit.”

Additional community and environmental groups that signed onto the submitted comments include the Environmental Integrity Project, Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, Conservation Law Center, National Parks Conservation Association, and Abrams Environmental Law Clinic.

“Gary Works can do better at maintaining and monitoring the production and pollution control equipment at the mill,” said Dorreen Carey, President of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development (GARD). “If you live in Gary you can see the constant brown haze around the blast furnaces and the basic oxygen furnace, you can smell the noxious odors. It is IDEM’s responsibility to oversee and protect the health and environment of Indiana cities and residents and natural resources.”