US Steel announced it is abandoning plans to allow a fracking company to drill for gas at US Steel’s Pittsburgh-area steel mill after prolonged opposition from nearby residents, according to local news reports.
Late last year, a local zoning board denied a permit extension to Merrion Oil and Gas to drill on the property of US Steels’ Edgar Thomson Works, and while Merrion was reportedly planning to appeal the decision, US Steel said last week it will pull the plug on the project.
In a statement, US Steel said it “values input from our neighbors and the communities where we live and work, as well as the open dialogue needed to balance our responsibilities to our shareholders, our neighbors, and to environmentally sustainable steelmaking.”
Merrion initially obtained a conditional use permit from East Pittsburgh Borough in 2018, but local groups such as North Braddock Residents for Our Future opposed the project along with several environmental groups.