Cleveland-Cliffs Settles Wastewater Pollution Claims
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Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) is settling alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and other laws for an August 2019 discharge of ammonia and cyanide-laden wastewater into the East Branch of the Little Calumet River, which flows into Lake Michigan. The discharge led to fish kills and also caused beach closures along the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
As part of the settlement, Cleveland-Cliffs will work to improve its wastewater system at its steel manufacturing and finishing facility at Burns Harbor.
“Today’s settlement with Cleveland-Cliffs appropriately penalizes the company for its significant violations and requires extensive actions by the company to prevent future pollution,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The cyanide and ammonia reductions will result in a cleaner Lake Michigan, and the public will be kept informed of potential future spills.”
The U.S. Department of Justice says Cleveland-Cliffs allegedly exceeded discharge pollution limits for cyanide and ammonia and failed to properly report the releases under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
“EPA and its partners worked together to develop a comprehensive solution that will not only support the continued enjoyment of Lake Michigan and Indiana waterways, but also implement necessary measures at the facility to prevent future spills like this again,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield for Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s settlement demonstrates that EPA is committed to protecting our natural resources from harmful pollution.”
The settlement requires Cleveland-Cliffs to pay $3 million as a civil penalty and to reimburse the EPA and the state of Indiana for response costs. Cleveland-Cliffs will reimburse EPA’s total cleanup response costs of $10,025 and Indiana’s response costs of $37,650.
Cleveland-Cliffs says it will also implement new ammonia treatment system and cyanide treatment requirements to help reduce the facility’s water pollution levels as well as a protocol to alert state and local groups about any future spills of cyanide.
To resolve the citizen suit claims, Cleveland-Cliffs has also agreed to two state-administered Environmentally Beneficial Projects: a transfer of 127 acres of land property adjacent to the Indiana National Lakeshore to a land trust for conservation, and background sampling on the East Branch of the Little Calumet River and Lake Michigan.