Permit revocation looms for St. Paul iron plant
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Minnesota regulators say they’ve taken the first steps to revoke the operating permit for a St. Paul iron foundry.
In a statement Wednesday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said Northern Iron has not submitted enough information on its operations and emissions.
“We started this process because Northern Iron has repeatedly failed to provide us with information required under state law necessary to write a permit for the company that protects human health and the environment,” regulators wrote in the statement.
The MPCA said revoking a permit is a rare step.
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It’s the latest development in a lengthy legal dispute between the MPCA and the foundry in St. Paul’s Payne-Phalen neighborhood, owned by Lawton Standard Co. It started in 2023, when regulators said the foundry replaced and removed pieces of pollution control equipment without telling the state, violating its permit and potentially leading to excess air pollution. Regulators fined the foundry $41,500.
After that, the state asked the foundry to submit an application for a new permit. The MPCA says all of Northern Iron’s applications have been incomplete, and issued a final warning to the foundry in April.
At the heart of the dispute is whether the foundry is emitting too much pollution. The MPCA says modeling based on the foundry’s reports suggests the foundry is emitting higher-than-allowed levels of particulate matter and lead. But the foundry says air monitors installed in the neighborhood haven’t shown excess pollution.
Community members and some local lawmakers say they’re worried about pollution from the foundry. Local resident Brittney Bruce filed a class action lawsuit against the foundry earlier this year. She alleges finding thick, black dust around and inside her home, causing damage to her property and prompting her to buy air filters and keep her kids inside.
A spokesperson for the foundry said in a statement that shutting down the foundry is unnecessary.
“The MPCA is not following the rule of law as a regulator, which is unacceptable,” the spokesperson said. “The agency has consistently changed the process, demanded information that is not required, and continually threatened the company.”
The foundry says it plans to challenge the decision. It has 30 days to request a hearing before an administrative law judge. The MPCA says the permit revocation process can be lengthy, and the foundry is allowed to keep operating during the process.
