Iron Making
Mesabi Nugget Iron Furnace (also know as Erie Nugget Plant)
A 197 ft diameter rotary furnace with a 19 story smokestack would melt taconite and coal together 24/7 to make 98% iron pellets. Currently only taconite pellets of 68% iron are made in Minnesota. This new iron works in Hoyt Lakes would be the first production scale furnace using this new technology. The company got a special law passed that waived an otherwise mandatory Environmental Impact Statement over the objections of the Sierra Club and its allies. The Mining Without Harm campaign spoke out at the May 25, 2005 public meeting in Hoyt Lakes and submitted 32 pages of comments on the draft air permit June 13, 2005 and signed-on to comments on the water pollution permit developed by the National Wildlife Federation.
Mesabi Nugget PCA Board Citizens Board Packet
- Cover Letter (pdf, 5k)
- Board Item Cover Sheet (pdf, 12k)
- Board Item (pdf, 36k)
- Map of vicinity of the Mesabi Nugget facility (pdf, 457k)
- Map of the Mesabi Nugget facility (pdf, 134k)
- Findings of Fact related to issuance of the Air Emission Permit (pdf, 127k)
- Findings of Fact related to request for variances to and issuance of the Water Quality Permit (pdf, 143k)
- List of Comment Letters (pdf, 9k)
- Responses to Comments (pdf, 431k)
- Draft Air Emission Permit (pdf, 291k)
- Draft Water Quality Permit, pages 1-5 (pdf, 26k)
- Draft Water Quality Permit, page 6 (pdf, 112k)
- Errata, Draft Air Emission and Water Quality Permits (pdf, 110k)
Resources
- July 20, 2005 - Sierra Club and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Technical Comments on the Mesabi Nugget Draft Air Emission Permit (pdf, 732k) - prepared by Alex J. Sagady, Environmental Consultant
- MPCA Draft Air Emission Permit for Mesabi Nugget
- June 13, 2005 - The Sierra Club's news release on the draft permit: Iron Works Gets Failing Grade from Mining without Harm Campaign
- June 13, 2005 - Comments on the Air Permit
- June 10, 2005 - Comments on the Water Permit
- June 22, 2005 - Response to reports of a 'deal' between Mesabi Nugget and MPCA
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Mesabi Nugget Project Proposal
- Mesabi Nugget web site