By Kaylie Moore
[email protected]
Monessen is expected to finally receive its share of a recent settlement with ArcelorMittal.
During a council meeting Thursday, councilmen Dave Feehan and Anthony Orzechowski and Councilwoman Lois Thomas unanimously authorized city administrator/clerk Judith Taylor to apply for a grant through the Vehicle Emission Reduction Fund and the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.
Upon receipt, the $100,000 grant will be used to purchase two, fully-equipped police Interceptor SUVs.
“They told us, Donora and Carroll Township that this was the $100,000 that was earmarked to us specifically from the lawsuit with ArcelorMittal that they paid to the clean air group,” Orzechowski said. “Money doesn’t go too far anymore. A fully-equipped Interceptor with lights and everything is $47,000, so we’ll be able to buy two of them.”
In a consent decree issued through the state Department of Environmental Protection in late 2017, the Monessen-based coke plant was forced to pay a $1.8 million settlement to federal, state and local entities over air pollution from the plant.
The settlement was a result of a federal lawsuit filed by PennEnvironment in October 2015, which alleged the international company had been repeatedly violating limits on air pollution since the plant reopened in 2014.
(Watch our video from the Monessen Council meeting on our website, www.monvalleyindependent.com.)
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