Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Anne Perry Moore, 218-723-2356 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 Duluth, Minn. - United States Steel Corporation recently paid a $68,250 civil penalty for alleged air quality violations at its Keewatin Taconite (Keetac) facility. The company also has made operations upgrades and paid an additional $60,000 to fund a new city street sweeper, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced today. Keetac mines taconite ore and produces taconite pellets at its facility near Keewatin, Minn. During the production process, waste tailings and by-products are piped as a slurry to the Keetac tailings basin located about two miles southeast of Keewatin. When the basin's perimeter beaches dry out, wind can turn the finely-ground tailings into airborne dust, sometimes referred to as "particulate matter." During three extended periods in November 2006, wind caused area residents within five miles north and east of the basin to be exposed to tailings dust and dust fallout. To minimize future dust emissions, Keetac mulched and seeded more than 1,450 acres of tailings beaches in 2007. The company applied more than 240 acres of mulch and 90 acres of seed by helicopter, and also used tracked vehicles to apply more than 170 acres of seed. In particular, the use of helicopters for seeding and mulching is a new and innovative approach to dust suppression, allowing for application on beaches that are still too soft for tractors to be used. The company also agreed to install three new ambient air monitors near the basin by March 31, 2008. The monitors will continuously record dust particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter, document any violations and help Keetac respond more quickly to any airborne dust increases. Under negotiated enforcement actions, in addition to paying a penalty and making operational improvements a company may also voluntarily conduct a Supplemental Environmental Project. This "extra" effort provides environmental and public health benefits from projects that often mitigate the violation's actual harm. Though SEP expenses may partially reduce the company's required penalty obligation, they normally far exceed the original amount owed. In this case, Keetac provided the city of Keewatin with $60,000 to purchase a street sweeper to help clean up roadway dust from the company's tailings basin or any other cause. Stipulation agreements are one of the tools used by the MPCA to achieve compliance with environmental laws. When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violation affected the environment, whether it is a first time or repeat violation and how promptly the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. It also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, go to the agency Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/newscenter/enforcement.html. Minnesota law requires owners and operators of facilities with the potential to release air pollutants to have MPCA permits. They must also carefully monitor and maintain equipment because emissions exceeding state standards can degrade air quality. The MPCA offers outreach and training to help facilities meet their permit requirements. For more information on air quality permits and emission standards, visit the agency's Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us or call Bob Beresford, MPCA air quality compliance and enforcement coordinator, at 218-723-4664. All MPCA staff can also be reached toll-free at 1-800-657-3864.