Settling disagreements requires long, difficult negotiations. Kannapel of Rust has participated in settlements that took ten years to negotiate. After three or four years of more talking, both sides move to a middle ground. But we have seen more willingness of state agencies and EPA regions to try to resolve these issues in a mutually satisfactory way that provides flexible solutions to these problems. The Sparrows Point agreement is a good example of that.
Steelmakers hope that inspections decline as incidences of noncompliance decrease.
But inspection activity actually may increase as new reporting and licensing requirements come into effect, Moniot of U.S. Steel says. Under Title V of the Clean Air Act, every source of emissions will need a permit. Mills will have to measure and report emissions to state regulators for every permitted source, creating new compliance issues. Those dollars have been well spent. The difference in environmental quality in cities such as Pittsburgh is drastic.