Pittsburgh, PA – Today, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley, state, local, and county officials highlighted the success of an Act 2 Land Recycling Program project at Hazelwood Green, the former site of the Jones & Laughlin / LTV Steel Hazelwood Coke Plant in Pittsburgh.
The 2026-27 budget signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro included a one-time $20 million transfer to support the HSCA program, allowing DEP to continue critical state-led site investigations and remediation projects while the Commonwealth works toward identifying a permanent funding source for this important environmental and public health work.
The Hazelwood Green redevelopment is one example of what can happen when contaminated and abandoned industrial properties are cleaned up and returned to productive use — creating a major hub for manufacturing and technology, new jobs, recreational opportunities, and community investment. DEP’s technical review of the site was supported by staff funded through the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA) program.
“The Shapiro-Davis Administration believes environmental protection is both a responsibility and a constitutional obligation, and we’re putting real resources behind that commitment,” said Lt. Governor Davis. “We’ve invested more than $100 million to support over 800 completed Act 2 cleanups, and now the one-time $20 million investment will help the Department of Environmental Protection continue critical, state-led site investigations and remediation projects. This work doesn't just protect our environment — it creates opportunities for economic growth, producing more jobs in manufacturing, construction, conservation, and environmental services.”
“Hazelwood Green is a success story right here in the heart of historic industrial Pittsburgh, emblematic of the good work possible when community leaders, planning organizations, and members of the public share a vision for how these unused industrial sites can be revitalized and reimagined as something new that creates jobs, fosters innovation, and strengthens community,” said Secretary Shirley. “Thanks to HSCA funded DEP staff from the Land Recycling Program, what was once an unused and hazardous ghost of Pittsburgh’s rich industrial history has been redeveloped into the latest example of the city’s incredible revival.”
Since 2023, the Shapiro-Davis Administration has invested more than $100 million to support over 800 completed Act 2 cleanups and investigations and remediation projects at more than 150 hazardous sites across Pennsylvania — protecting public health, restoring communities, putting contaminated properties back to productive use, and creating new opportunities for economic growth across Pennsylvania.
“RIDC has done many brownfields redevelopments, from the Pittsburgh Technology Center, which prompted Act 2, to the old US Steel sites that are now City Center of Duquesne and Industrial Center of McKeesport, where Governor Ridge actually signed it into law,” said Tim White, Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) Business and Development Strategy Senior VP. “And we’re here today at Mill 19, another project that depended on Act 2, which has been a catalyst for job creation and economic activity at Hazelwood Green. Properties that could otherwise be rusting eyesores have been transformed into centers of technology, manufacturing, life sciences and much more. Thousands of jobs exist today because of projects made possible because of Act 2.”
For more than a century, the Hazelwood site supported steelmaking and coke production along the Monongahela River. Decades of industrial operations created significant environmental and redevelopment challenges, including historic soil and groundwater contamination, complex subsurface conditions and historic fill materials, barriers to safe public access, and the need for long-term engineering controls and environmental oversight.
DEP oversight supported by HSCA-funded staff helped ensure the cleanup was protective of public health and the environment. Cleanup and redevelopment activities included completing comprehensive Act 2 investigations and risk assessments; placement of engineered “deep fill” and clean soil cover systems across the property; use of pavement, buildings, and engineered barriers to prevent exposure pathways; long-term environmental covenants and land use controls; site-specific evaluations for temporary public events and redevelopment activities; and extensive soil sampling and risk evaluation to support safe reuse of the property.
Throughout the process, the remediators and developers for the area employed a strategy of inclusivity, transparency, education, and careful design. The result is a major manufacturing and technology hub and green space creating new economic opportunities on formerly inaccessible industrial land.
The HSCA program conducts initial investigations into land and water pollution to identify responsible parties. When none can be found, HSCA funding supports cleanup solutions such as land remediation and water treatment. The program also drives economic development by supporting redevelopment through Pennsylvania’s Act 2 program, which has approved 13,688 cleanups across all 67 counties since 1995.
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