Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation to Perform at Least $12 Million in Corrective Measures to Address Contamination at Middletown Works in Ohio

Today, the Department of Justice announced a proposed settlement with Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation (Cliffs) requiring it to address releases of hazardous waste at its Middletown Works facility.

Under the proposed consent decree, Cliffs will perform long-term corrective measures to comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The required corrective measures will address several site areas at the Middletown Works, a 2,600-acre integrated steel mill that has operated in Middletown, Ohio, since 1901.

"This settlement shows the Administration's commitment to protecting the health and safety of the public, including workers at the Middletown Works," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). "The Department of Justice is committed to addressing hazardous waste while ensuring that responsible parties are held accountable and the public is not left with the bill."

This consent decree will provide final closure to a civil lawsuit against Cliffs' predecessor, AK Steel Corporation, by the Department of Justice and later joined by the state of Ohio and environmental groups. Under a partial settlement, AK Steel conducted cleanups of two tributaries to the Great Miami River and agreed to perform comprehensive investigations of other contaminant releases and evaluate potential corrective measures. Under the consent decree lodged today, Cliffs now agrees to implement the corrective measures when approved and selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The first two areas to be addressed under the new consent decree are closed landfills that historically received wastes from Middletown Works including industrial wastewater treatment sludges, steel production process sludges, and slag. The corrective measures at these areas are expected to cost $12 million. Additionally, the consent decree will require Cliffs to implement corrective measures at other site areas, such as the Middletown Works' production and slag processing areas. These steps are needed to achieve long-term protection of human health and the environment.

The consent decree was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and is subject to a 30-day public comment period. The complaint and proposed consent decree are available at https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.

EPA has overseen the interim measures and RCRA Facility Investigations and Corrective Measures Studies that Cleveland-Cliffs has conducted at and around the facility. The proposed consent decree requires that Cleveland-Cliffs implement corrective measures at the facility and provide financial assurance for that work.

ENRD's Environmental Enforcement Section is handling the case.