A north Minneapolis metal recycler that’s been in and out of court with the MPCA over allegations it was contributing to elevated levels of air pollution has agreed to pay a penalty and move its controversial metal shredder out of the city.
The settlement has been approved by the Ramsey County District Court. The settlement document (Consent Decree) is available on the MPCA’s North Minneapolis Air Monitoring Project webpage.
Under the settlement, Northern Metal Recycling will move the shredder to a new, non-metro location by August 2019 and pay $2.5 million in costs and penalties, including:
- a $1 million civil penalty
- payment for three years of continued air monitoring near the facility
- reimbursement to the state for past monitoring costs, court costs, and legal fees
- $600,000 to the city of Minneapolis for community heath projects to benefit nearby communities
“This settlement is a welcome start to addressing a problem for residents in North Minneapolis who are already overburdened with health and pollution issues,” said MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine in a statement issued to news media. “The company recognized the serious nature of its violations, and they’ve chosen to take the right steps.”
The inclusion of funds for community health projects settles claims by the city, which joined as a party to negotiations last fall. The city held two public meetings to get public input on the community health funding.
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said in a statement, “This settlement provides a measure of environmental justice for the people of North Minneapolis. We will be using the settlement to do what the residents of North Minneapolis told us they wanted us to do with it: address and mitigate asthma and lead poisoning in the neighborhoods that have some of the highest child lead-poisoning rates in our city and the highest asthma hospitalization rate in our state.”
The settlement resolves legal actions in which the MPCA sought to close down Northern Metals’ shredder in district court and revoke the facility’s air quality permit. The MPCA began monitoring air near the site in 2014; results showed levels of particulate matter and metals are higher in the area than at other monitoring locations.
For more information visit our web pages on North Minneapolis air monitoring.