The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) fined iron ore pellet producer United Taconite LLC $22,980 for a violation of its air permit at its Fairlane plant near Forbes.
On Oct. 25, 2024, MPCA staff discovered that the company had failed to carry out necessary testing to verify that its particulate matter emissions were within permitted limits. United Taconite was required to perform these tests by November 2023.
In addition to paying the fine, the company has submitted a plan to ensure that performance tests will be conducted in accordance with the facility’s air permit moving forward.
The MPCA is committed to protecting human health and the environment by enforcing rules and regulations and limiting pollution and discharges from facilities. When facilities do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment. During the Governor Walz administration, the MPCA has issued 8,475 enforcement actions amounting to nearly $25 million in penalties. Penalty payments go into the MPCA's general fund, which enables the MPCA to protect communities and the environment from harmful pollution.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers a number of factors including the seriousness of the violation, the potential for harm to human health or the environment, history of noncompliance, and the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws.