Donora woman joins class-action lawsuit against Monessen coke works
A Donora woman joined a class-action federal lawsuit against a coke plant in Monessen, claiming it failed to install adequate technology to control its emissions.
Viktoryia Maroz of Castner Avenue, Donora, and Edward Tolliver of Monessen filed the lawsuit Friday alleging ArcelorMittal invaded 2,700 area households with noxious odors and air particulates since it reopened in April 2014, court records show.
The plaintiffs are seeking more than $75,000 in the lawsuit, which also claims Maroz, Tolliver and their neighbors saw their property values drop because of the plant at 345 Donner Ave.
The former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel plant was on hot idle from May 2009 until ArcelorMittal reopened it and created 160 jobs.
The operation, which turns coal into coke, a fuel used in blast furnaces to make metals, received 23 notices of violation from the state Department of Environmental Protection. The violations involved the plant’s release of “fugitive emissions” into the environment, creating emissions that exceeded limits, creating emissions that were visible and allowing dust to leave the plant without taking measures to prevent it from spreading, DEP records show.
The DEP was reviewing the company’s responses to the notices before making a decision on any fines in the case, said John Poister, the department’s spokesman in Pittsburgh.
The lawsuit further claims the plaintiffs are forced to remain inside their homes and “forego the use of their yards” because the plant produces odors that are “offensive to the senses.” The plaintiffs further claim they are forced to keep their doors and windows closed and are embarrassed and reluctant to invite guests to their homes because the plant “trespasses” on their property, the record states.
ArcelorMittal did not respond to messages Monday seeking comment.