Media

(WARREN, OHIO) December 18, 2006 - WCI Steel, Inc. (OTC: WCIS.PK) announced today that the company has reached agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to minimize potential risks to migratory birds and other wildlife that may enter containment areas located within its 1,100-acre plant site.

The agreement is included in a federal consent decree between WCI Steel and the EPA officially filed in U.S. District Court today, resolving the federal government’s claims that had been initiated against WCI Steel’s predecessor company in 2002 relating to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

WCI President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick G. Tatom said the consent decree demonstrates WCI Steel’s commitment to meeting environmental protection standards.

“We are pleased that a plan was developed through cooperative negotiation rather than protracted litigation, which allows us to focus on the future of new WCI,” Tatom said. “This consent decree is evidence of our continuous environmental improvement and our commitment to our community.”

WCI Steel expects upfront compliance costs under the consent decree to total approximately $1.7 million, which includes a 620,000 settlement payment. The settlement primarily reflects liabilities assumed by WCI Steel when it acquired the assets of the predecessor company May 1.

With the settlement, WCI Steel can remove air cannons installed in 2002 to address the EPA’s original order to deter migratory birds, such as Canadian geese, and other wildlife. The installation of the cannons was among the numerous actions taken by WCI’s predecessor company to eliminate the EPA’s concerns, Tatom said, adding that just four of the 11 areas originally targeted by the EPA remained when old WCI’s assets were acquired.

The plan embodied in today’s agreement memorializes numerous measures in place for several years and requires some additional protective actions to address the EPA’s concerns, including the erection of exclusion netting at its wastewater treatment pond designed to prevent migratory birds from landing on or entering the pond. These measures are included in the $1.7 million in costs that were accrued as of May 1, 2006.

Significantly, the agreement allows WCI to continue using the three remaining impoundments, each of which the company considers critical to its operations. Aside from the RCRA consent decree, Tatom noted that WCI Steel’s environmental commitment includes the previously announced $29.3 million investment to install a new baghouse system at its Basic Oxygen Furnace. Construction of the new baghouse system, which will reduce environmental emissions and meet new federal air quality standards, is proceeding on schedule with the facility set to be operational in April of 2007.

A baghouse is a fabric filter system that allows the removal of dust particles from gases produced during the steelmaking process in order to reduce the emissions of particulate matter to the air. The installation will allow WCI to meet the Maximum Achievable Control Technology standard for the iron and steel industry, which was established in May 2003 pursuant to the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments. About WCI Steel, Inc.

WCI Steel’s strength is built on “Custom Steel. Custom Service. Creative Solutions.” As a niche-oriented integrated producer of value-added, custom steel products, WCI steel emphasizes customer and technical service. WCI currently produces 185 grades of flat-rolled custom and commodity flat-rolled steel at its Warren, Ohio facility. WCI Steel focuses on a wide range of custom flat-rolled steel products, including high carbon, alloy, ultra high strength and heavy-gauge galvanized steel and on developing closer, more responsive relationships with customers. Major customers are steel converters, processors, service centers, construction product companies and, to a lesser extent, automobile manufacturers.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information contained in this release, other than historical information, should be considered “forward-looking statements” within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. WCI Steel cautions that there are various important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such indicated events will occur. Among such factors are: general economic and business conditions; demand for WCI Steel’s products; changes in industry capacity and levels of imports of steel or steel products; industry trends, including product pricing; competition; currency fluctuations; the loss of any significant customer; pricing and availability of raw materials and energy; power outages or curtailments; availability of qualified personnel; ability to train the existing workforce; major equipment failures; the timing and completion of capital projects; changes in, or the failure or inability to comply with, government regulation including, without limitation, environmental regulations; the outcome of legal matters and other risk factors. Except as required by law, WCI Steel does not assume any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or events.



WCI Steel, Inc. Contacts:
MEDIA: Belinda Cavender, 330-841-8214
ANALYSTS: Cynthia B. Bezik, Vice President and CFO, 330-841-8300



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