ArcelorMittal Facing Potential Clean Water Act Lawsuit
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA plant in Burns Harbor could be facing a lawsuit. Our partners at the Times of Northwest Indiana report two environmental groups are serving a 60-day notice of their intent to file a Clean Water Act lawsuit against ArcelorMittal for alleged violations of the water permit at its Burns Harbor steel mill.
The publication says the plant’s waste is emptied into the Little Calumet River and flows into Lake Michigan near the Indiana Dunes National Park.
The Environmental Law and Policy Center and Hoosier Environmental Council allege that ArcelorMittal repeatedly violated permit limits for total cyanide, free cyanide and ammonia at the Burns Harbor mill.
The groups told The Times they would sue following the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to take enforcement action after 100 reported water quality violations, including a cyanide discharge in August that they say killed 3,000 fish and closed nearby beaches at the Indiana Dunes National Park.
“Fortunately, the Clean Water Act authorizes citizens to sue when the government lets us down,” Environmental Law and Policy Center Staff Attorney Jeffrey Hammons told the publication. “ArcelorMittal needs to be held accountable, and IDEM and EPA need to do a better job of protecting Lake Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park and the people who enjoy them.”
Read the full story from the Times of Northwest Indiana by clicking here.