Explosion raises questions about U.S. Steel’s fate

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The fatal explosion last week at U.S. Steel’s Pittsburgh-area coal-processing plant has revived debate about its future just as the iconic American company was emerging from a long period of uncertainty.

The fortunes of steelmaking in the U.S. — along with profits, share prices and steel prices — have been buoyed by years of friendly administrations in Washington, D.C., that slapped tariffs on foreign imports and bolstered the industry’s anti-competitive trade cases against China.

Most recently, President Donald Trump’s administration postponed new hazardous air-pollution requirements for the nation’s roughly dozen coke plants, and he approved U.S. Steel’s nearly $15 billion acquisition by Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel.

Nippon Steel’s promised infusion of cash has b