Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a settlement with Cleveland Cliffs Burns Harbor LLC, located in Burns Harbor, Indiana, for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. These violations reportedly occurred while the facility was operating under its former name, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor LLC. As part of the settlement, the company will implement additional pollution controls and pay $248,396 in penalties.
During unannounced inspections, the EPA discovered that the company was allegedly emitting excessive amounts of particulate matter and hazardous air pollutants from its basic oxygen furnace shop used for steel production. The violations were said to occur during the loading of molten iron into furnaces and when molten material overflowed from these furnaces.
Under the terms of the settlement, Cleveland Cliffs Burns Harbor is required to introduce new process controls to ensure slow loading of furnaces and maintain high operational rates for pollution control systems during furnace operation. Additionally, the company must proactively address issues before overflows occur and keep liquid metal ladles under pollution control device hoods. The facility will also need to enhance monitoring of its basic oxygen furnace shop, provide detailed reports on its activities to the EPA, install a video camera to record emissions from the shop, and follow an optimization plan specifying shop operations.
Located on Lake Michigan's southernmost shores near Indiana Dunes National Park, this large steel mill's compliance with the settlement is expected to reduce hazardous pollutant emissions, thereby improving air quality in both the national park and surrounding communities.
For more information about the Clean Air Act, visit EPA’s website.
