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April 24, 2025
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued a final notice to Northern Iron to send us all required information by May 8 in order to evaluate compliance and to write a permit. If Nothern Iron fails to provide all necessary information by the deadline, the MPCA will begin the process to revoke the permit issued to the foundry.
Permit revocation is an administrative process that can be used by the MPCA when a permit holder meets any of the conditions in Minnesota Rules Chapter 7007.1700. Revoking a permit is generally a last resort in difficult circumstances and is taken very seriously by the MPCA. If the MPCA intends to revoke a permit, the MPCA must notify the permit holder. The permit holder has 30 days to request a contested-case hearing.
Northern Iron has repeatedly failed to provide the MPCA with information required to evaluate compliance and to write a permit to protect human health and the environment. A permit holder is required by law to provide full disclosure of the facility to be permitted. The limited information the company has provided to date remains deficient. Minnesota law requires that the MPCA be satisfied that the company applying for a permit will achieve and maintain compliance with all deficiencies of the permit.
Based on the information Northern Iron has provided the agency, the MPCA cannot determine that Northern Iron has met those conditions. Therefore, the MPCA has communicated a deadline of May 8 by which time Nothern Iron must provide all outstanding information/data.
For more than two years, Northern Iron has repeatedly failed to meet regulator expectations or comply with a 2023 stipulation agreement.
Northern Iron has failed to fully disclose to the MPCA and the public about its compliance with the 2024 administrative order issued by the agency and failed to fully disclose about its ability to operate in a manner consistent with its permit application.
To avoid revocation of its permit, Northern Iron must, among other steps:
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Provide all information related to all building capture studies.
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Submit a stack testing plan that contains all required elements to complete adequate stack testing.
- Complete hood evaluations and certifications.
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