Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Anne Perry Moore, 218-723-2356 Duluth, Minn. -- A public open house and informational meeting regarding a draft air permit for U.S. Steel-Minntac, located near Mountain Iron, Minn., will be hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on Oct. 6 at the Mesabi Range Community & Technical College - Virginia campus, room C-175, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. MPCA staff will be available to answer questions and provide information during the open house session from 6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. During the meeting that begins at 6:30 p.m., the MPCA will present an overview of the agency's permit process and a description of the changes being proposed. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Minntac's proposed air permit strives to reduce potential adverse environmental impacts to visibility in Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The draft permit requires Minntac to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by replacing regular burners with low NOx burners; commissioning a modeling study to guide combustion and process improvements for NOx reduction; testing NOx control technologies already proven for other industrial emission units; and installing control technology as outlined in an MPCA-approved schedule. Formal written and videotaped public comments will be taken at this meeting. The meeting will be taped by Iron Range Resources representatives and rebroadcast on several Range-area public access television channels. Those interested can also mail comments to Christopher Nelson, MPCA Mining Section Manager, 520 Lafayette Road North, St. Paul, MN, 55155. Nelson can also be reached by phone at 651- 296-7750 (toll-free at 1-800-657-3864), by fax, at 651-297-2343 or by e-mail, christopher.nelson@pca.state.mn.us. All comments must be received by Oct. 22, 2008.