FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         ENR
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1996                         (202) 616-2771
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

                                 
    WEIRTON STEEL CORPORATION AGREES TO SPEND OVER $23 MILLION
           FOR POLLUTING AIR AND WATER IN WEST VIRGINIA

   Major Supplier of Steel for Tin Cans to Dramatically Improve
              Pollution Controls at Steelmaking Plant

     WASHINGTON, D.C. --  The Weirton Steel Corporation today
agreed to spend more than $23 million to settle charges that it
illegally discharged pollutants into the air and water at its
steelmaking facility in Weirton, West Virginia, the United States
announced.

     As part of the settlement, the company will spend 
approximately $14 million to correct violations and upgrade the
pollution control equipment at the facility, pay a $3.2 million
civil penalty, and spend $6 million on additional projects to
improve the environment in the Weirton area.      

     Weirton Steel mainly produces rolls of thin steel sheets
used to make tin cans, and is the supplier of nearly half of the
steel used to produce cans in the United States.

     The agreement, filed today in U.S. District Court in 
Wheeling, West Virginia, settles allegations that Weirton Steel 
violated the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act -- a law governing the handling of
hazardous waste.   It is alleged that the company:

        failed to properly filter air emissions including, dust
          and soot from its blast furnace and sinter plant;

        failed to adequately treat wastewater discharged from
          the plant into the Harmon and Ohio rivers;

        engaged in the improper treatment, storage, and
          disposal of hazardous waste.

     "The steps Weirton Steel is required to take to reduce
pollution from its steel-making plant should improve the quality
of the community's air and water," said Lois J. Schiffer,
Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's
Environment and Natural Resources Division.  "This settlement is
an excellent example of how federal and State authorities can
work together to resolve complex environmental problems in a way
that benefits the local community."

     "In settling this case, EPA and the Department of Justice
have followed a basic principle -- polluters should pay for and
correct the damage they cause," said Steve Herman, EPA Assistant
Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.  "This
agreement, which addresses and remedies air, water and hazardous
waste pollution, reflects EPA's continued commitment to address
public health and environmental problems in the most
comprehensive and effective way."

     "This consent decree marks the beginning of the end of
Weirton's chronic environmental problems, and the penalty sends a
message that pollution does not pay," said W. Michael McCabe, EPA
Regional Administrator.  "The additional upgrades and pollution
control equipment will provide environmental benefits above and
beyond the law's requirements.  EPA is pleased with this outcome,
but the real winners are the public and the environment."

     The agreement is the result of a strong cooperative
enforcement effort among the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of West Virginia.

     According to the settlement, Weirton Steel has agreed to
reduce the amount of dust, soot and other particles the plant
releases into the air; upgrade its wastewater treatment
facilities; and meet federal and State standards governing the
handling of hazardous waste.

     One-half of the $3.2 million civil penalty the company is
required to pay will be paid to the United States and one-half to
West Virginia.

     Under a final component of the settlement, Weirton Steel has
agreed to perform two Supplemental Environmental Projects, which
will benefit the environment in the Weirton area.  First, Weirton
Steel will install additional pollution control equipment at its
blast furnace cast house to reduce air emissions to levels well
below what is required by law.  Second, Weirton Steel will
construct a tower that will be used to study meteorological
conditions in the area, which will aid in the understanding of
the dispersion of dust, soot, and other forms of air pollution in
the area.
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