Cleveland-Cliffs has announced plans to delay hundreds of millions of dollars in maintenance at its Burns Harbor facility.
“Every year this coal project is delayed, the future of steel comes into focus a little bit more,” Hilary Lewis, steel director at Industrious Labs, said in a statement. “Now, Cleveland-Cliffs needs to get serious about clean steel and develop a plan to rebuild this furnace with clean, modern technology.”
The steelmaker announced on May 8 that it was delaying the scheduled maintenance at one of Burns Harbor’s two blast furnaces, which was originally planned for this year.
In 2023, the project was delayed until 2026, and it has now been delayed again until 2027.
A representative for Cleveland-Cliffs did not respond to request for comment.
Near the end of a blast furnace’s life, the equipment will require up to $400 million in reinvestment to continue operations for another 20 years, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit that looks at how to transform global energy systems to create a zero-carbon future.
According to Industrious Labs, Burns Harbor ranks as one of Indiana’s top three biggest polluters among industrial sources for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide and lead.
The group’s “Dirty Steel, Dangerous Air” report that was published in October 2024 found that Burns Harbor is responsible for more than 250 premature deaths, more than 74,000 cases of asthma symptoms and more than 13,000 lost school and work days annually. The report details national and local health and economic costs of steel industry pollution.
“The adverse health effects of air pollution on multiple organ systems are well-documented and indisputable,” Allan Halline, an Ogden Dunes resident and member of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, said in a statement. “We would hope this postponement in relining the outdated and highly polluting blast furnace indicates Cleveland-Cliffs’ reconsideration of building a more cost effective and economically sustainable direct reduced iron furnace, a proven technology that can reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions by over 95%. Such a move would demonstrate a commitment to the health of their workers and the surrounding communities and to the long-term stability of jobs in our region.”
Susan Thomas, policy and press director for Just Transition Northwest Indiana, said in a statement that due to Burns Harbor’s proximity to Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes National Park, natural resources will continue to be harmed by fossil fuel use.
“With this delay, we call on Cleveland-Cliffs to move off dirty coal-reliant steelmaking, pursue green technologies to enhance our quality of place, and prove that jobs and a thriving economy can co-exist with community health and a sustainable environment,” Thomas said.
Environmental advocates nationwide worry that Cleveland-Cliffs applied for presidential exemptions to sections of the Clean Air Act. A representative from the Group Against Smog and Pollution, a southwestern Pennsylvania-based nonprofit, said in an email that Cleveland-Cliffs did submit an exemption request for its Monessen Coke plant.
It is unclear whether Cleveland-Cliffs also submitted an exemption request for its Northwest Indiana location.
President Donald Trump will make a decision “based on the merits” of each corporation. According to an analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund and Environmental Law and Policy Center, more than 500 facilities in 45 states were invited to apply.
“Signing onto the two-year Trump exemption provided to the fossil fuel industry increases the already alarming health statistics tied to this corporation,” Carolyn McCrady, member of GARD, said in a statement. “We in GARD advise Cleveland-Cliffs to move in the right direction, to put people before profits to save lives and the planet itself.”
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
