The debate over a pollution permit in Clairton, Pennsylvania, home to the nation’s largest coke plant, pits environmental groups and residents concerned about public health against U.S. Steel and its supporters.

By Kiley Bense

When the town of Clairton, Pennsylvania, was founded a few miles south of Pittsburgh at the start of the 20th century, the only thing there was a steel mill. “At the beginning of 1901, the town of Clairton was a field,” a newspaper article from 1904 explained. “The Clairton steel mill first began operations in that year and the idea of building a town followed.”