Controversial St. Paul iron foundry announces shutdown
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A St. Paul iron foundry is shutting down, after years of legal battles over its emissions.
The foundry announced the closure Thursday, just over a week after appearing in court over a challenge to its permit. Regulators with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency were trying to revoke it, and said the foundry has a track record of noncompliance with the state’s air pollution laws.
In its closure announcement, Northern Iron said the facility is operating legally but decided to close down because of the uncertainty amid that court case and other legal challenges. In a statement, the foundry’s chief administrative officer Tierney Grutza said.
"We are deeply disappointed that, despite years of investment, collaboration and good-faith efforts to address environmental and permitting concerns, we were unable to reach a path forward that would allow Northern Iron to continue operating," Grutza said.
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Northern Iron has long faced criticism from both regulators and local residents in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood. In 2023, state regulators fined the foundry, after an inspection found that operators had removed some of its pollution control equipment, in violation of its permit.
Regulators then required the foundry to apply for a new permit. They said those permit applications all came back incomplete.
Foundry leaders denied regulators’ claims that the facility is emitting too much pollution. The MPCA based that claim on modeling from the foundry’s reports, which they said indicated that the foundry was emitting higher-than-allowed levels of particulate matter and lead. But the foundry said air monitors nearby haven’t found evidence of excess pollution. Foundry leaders have accused the MPCA of overreaching in its attempt to revoke the permit.
A spokesperson with the MPCA said the litigation and the agency’s attempt to revoke the permit were consequences of Northern Iron’s incomplete permits — not the fault of regulators.
“The MPCA gave Northern Iron multiple opportunities to submit required information for its permit, and we exercised every authority we had to compel the company to submit necessary information,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Local residents have advocated for the foundry to close. One neighbor, Brittney Bruce, filed a class action lawsuit against the facility last year. She said she frequently finds dust from the foundry inside her house across the street from the foundry. She bought air purifiers for her home and said a tenant in her duplex moved out over concerns about air pollution.
In a statement, Bruce and several other organizers said they welcomed the news of the closure.
“I’m shaking with joy,” Bruce said. “No one deserves to be polluted in this way.”
Mel Lorentz is a local resident and environmental lawyer who has worked with neighbors to advocate for a shutdown. She said she’s grateful that the MPCA took legal action.
“It's hard to overstate the relief that comes with knowing that the largest stationary source of lead and particulate matter in the county is not going to be operating right next to houses anymore,” Lorentz said. “Companies should not be allowed to do whatever they want.”
The class action lawsuit remains open. The plaintiffs are asking for monetary damages from Northern Iron. Lorentz said the closure of the facility doesn’t mean that lawsuit will end.
The MPCA spokesperson said the agency does not yet know what the next steps are in its ongoing court cases with Northern Iron.
Northern Iron leaders said they plan to completely close down the facility by the end of the year. They anticipate laying off 86 workers in the process.
