Steel Mills
Severstal Dearborn Seeks Revision of Air Permit
Written by Sandy Williams
March 13, 2014
Severstal Dearborn is seeking a “technical correction” to its current air permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The revision to the permit, according to statement by Severstal, is based on stringent testing and will reflect more accurate emission levels than were recorded in the 2006 and 2007 estimates.
“The permit Severstal is seeking from the MDEQ does not authorize us to emit more pollution,” said the Severstal.
The Detroit Free press and other local new sources have reported that air pollution levels will rise under the revision.
“Severstal Dearborn, a steel plant that’s one of metro Detroit’s biggest polluters, would be allowed to release much higher volumes of toxins into the atmosphere — in some cases, hundreds of times more — in a permit revision proposed by the state Department of Environmental Quality,” wrote the Detroit Free Press in an article on March 11. An assertion that the DEQ and Severstal flatly deny.
“They had tested previously, but we questioned the validity of some of those results because their equipment was in disrepair,” said Vince Hellwig, chief of the DEQ’s Air Quality Division in the Detroit Free Press article. “The permit today is based on current testing, after the repairs have been made.”
Hellwig said the DEQ does not set emission limits but determines whether applicant requested limits are within safety parameters for the public. The proposed permit revision continues to meet “stringent” state and federal air toxin levels, he said.
Severstal purchased the former Rouge Steel plant from bankruptcy in 2004. The plant was a known pollutant in the area with multiple environmental violations. Since that time more than $1.7 billion has been invested in the plant for upgrades including installation of two state-of-the art air pollution control baghouses in 2007, which reduce particulate, lead and manganese emissions.
Severstal denied allegations that the permit revisions are driven by corporate greed and noted the Dearborn facility has yet to “turn a profit” due to the level of investment necessary to modernize the facility. Severstal spokesperson Katya Pruett explained to SMU that the Severstal Dearborn has only recently begun to turn the corner on profitability. “We haven’t experienced sustained profitability, if you will, and it’s something we are working toward,” said Pruett.
A public information session and hearing is scheduled for March 19 by the MDEQ Air Quality Division.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
Cleveland-Cliffs quietly removes name from Steelton mill
The Cleveland-Cliffs name has been removed from its idled Steelton rail mill. SMU asked Cliffs about the move and if it might signal that it is selling the mill...
Nucor sees sequentially lower Q3 profits across all three business segments
Nucor's third-quarter earnings will be down quarter-over-quarter, but still higher than a year earlier.
Hyundai still on for Louisiana steel mill despite US raid at Georgia battery plant
Hyundai has reaffirmed its commitment to build a steel plant in Louisiana following a US government immigration raid at its battery facility in Georgia.
Hybar lowers output forecast, owning up to EAF startup delay
Hybar LLC’s rebar mill in Osceola, Ark., is now melting scrap and will soon be fulfilling orders, according to CEO David Stickler, despite a six-to-eight-week delay caused by commissioning the world’s first Aura electrical system.
Steel Dynamics guides to more metal, more money in Q3
Steel Dynamics Inc. is bullish heading into the close of the third quarter, with all three of its operating segments tracking higher.