Bethlehem Steel Corporation
For Immediate Release

BETHLEHEM, Pa., November 30, 1999 - Bethlehem Steel Corporation today received the Governor�s Award for Environmental Excellence in Pennsylvania for the Bethlehem Works redevelopment initiative at the corporation�s South Side Bethlehem property.

The award, presented this morning by Governor Tom Ridge, recognizes innovative solutions and partnerships that advance environmental stewardship in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Bethlehem Steel�s Bethlehem Works project was honored for progressive approaches to remediation that have been pursued cooperatively with the Commonwealth�s Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Using the Commonwealth�s Act 2 (brownfields) legislation as the framework for environmental assessment and remediation requirements, a process was developed to expeditiously clean up the 163-acre former steelmaking site to return it to productive use.

Bethlehem Works is located on 163 acres of Bethlehem Steel land on the South Side of the City of Bethlehem. The project involves the development of cultural, entertainment and recreational venues including ice skating rinks, multi-plex movie theaters, a swimming/diving complex and supporting retail establishments. In addition, the National Museum of Industrial History, in affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution, will be the anchor of the site. A Preview Center for the Museum is scheduled to open in 2000.

The innovative process for identifying assessment and remediation requirements developed cooperatively by the DEP, EPA and Bethlehem Steel was termed "a national model for the application of brownfields remediation" by Tim Fields, assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response, EPA, in June 1999.

The process receiving the Governor�s Award today was also lauded by Pennsylvania DEP Secretary Jim Seif who said, "Over the past four years Bethlehem Steel has worked proactively to plan for this major development project by involving all environmental partners, including the EPA and DEP. This is exactly what the Ridge Administration had in mind when we proposed our brownfields law."

The 163-acre Bethlehem Works site and the adjacent 1,600-acre Bethlehem Commerce Center site comprise one of the largest brownfields projects in the United States under development. "We have worked closely with all levels of government, and with the community, to create a public/private partnership to advance these initiatives, which have so much potential to return jobs to our community," said Curtis H. Barnette, chairman and chief executive officer, Bethlehem Steel Corporation. "It is a great honor to be recognized by the Governor for the partnership that exists between the Commonwealth and the corporation concerning this project."