Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation

Under the consent decree filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs will implement corrective measures approved and selected by the EPA. The first two landfill areas are expected to cost $12 million. The company must also provide financial assurance for the work. The consent decree ends decades of litigation uncertainty and is subject to a 30-day public comment period. EPA will oversee implementation of the cleanup framework.

The Department of Justice announced a proposed settlement with Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation requiring it to address releases of hazardous waste at its Middletown Works facility in Ohio, a 2,600-acre integrated steel mill operating since 1901. The company will perform at least $12 million in corrective measures to comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

The consent decree resolves a civil lawsuit against Cliffs' predecessor, AK Steel Corporation, regarding hazardous waste management at the Middletown Works facility. The first two areas to be addressed are closed landfills that historically received wastes including industrial wastewater treatment sludges, steel production process sludges, and slag. Additional corrective measures will be required at other site areas including the production and slag processing areas. The contamination involves releases of hazardous waste that require long-term remediation to protect human health and the environment.