Bethlehem Steel: 1997/98 Environment Report-Stewardship through Partnerships

Environmental Compliance Index

Bethlehem Steel measures its environmental performance with an environmental compliance index (ECI) — the number of exceedances/ incidents reported to or cited by government agencies during a reporting month. The sum of four components (air exceedances, water discharge exceedances, spills and notices of violation) creates the ECI.

In 1996, the ECI averaged 61 exceedances/incidents per month. This was higher than anticipated due to unexpected problems at the Bethlehem Coke Plant in complying with new and more stringent hazardous air pollution regulations. These problems were resolved in 1997 through repairs and improved operating practices, resulting in a 34-percent improvement in the ECI.

For the first six months of 1998, all business divisions have improved their environmental performance. The monthly average ECI is 13 exceedances/incidents — a 68-percent improvement over 1997 and an 83-percent improvement compared to the ECI baseline year of 1994. Consistent with our corporate environmental policy and objectives and our goal to achieve excellence in environmental performance, we have established a goal of zero for the ECI.

Resolution in 1995 of many historic environmental compliance cases from the early and mid-1980s reduced the company’s involvement in such cases beginning in 1996 and associated fines and penalties. In 1997, Bethlehem paid fines and penalties totaling $833,000 compared to $161,000 in 1996. Fines and penalties in 1997 were incurred to resolve several air and industrial wastewater discharge exceedances at Bethlehem Structural Products (now shut down), air emission problems at the electric arc and ladle refining furnaces at PST, and several historic issues at Sparrows Point as part of a multi-media agreement.

We also monitored our environmental performance through a comprehensive environmental auditing process that covered nine Bethlehem facilities, one joint-venture and two contractors in 1997. We continue to integrate environmental management into the business process by not merely identifying and fixing problems but by searching for root causes and eliminating them by developing better management systems. Burns Harbor and Sparrow Point have conducted gap analyzes to identify improvement actions for inclusion in business plans.

Safety, Health and Environment Department
1170 Eighth Avenue, Martin Tower; 12th Floor, Bethlehem, PA 18016-7699
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