Environmental justice advocates score major win for inclusive community outreach

Community advocates in the Payne/Phalen neighborhood of Saint Paul are celebrating a significant step forward in the fight for environmental justice, following a renewed commitment from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to better engage the community and hold the Northern Iron foundry accountable. 

The MPCA says Northern Iron has failed to provide necessary information and its air permit application remains deficient, which could lead to permit revocation.

The facility, which processes recycled metals, is seeking an amendment to its air permit to increase operations, but a growing coalition of residents and activists is ensuring that their voices are heard in the process.

Sidney Stuart, Eastside Environmental Justice group

"We have a beautiful community over here on the east side that was zoned a long time ago for industry," said Sidney Stuart, member of the Eastside Environmental Justice (ESEJ) group. "We want to know that if the foundry is going to be here they can operate in a way that isn't harmful to the neighborhood and to the people who are working inside of those conditions every single day."

For years, residents have raised concerns about pollution from the foundry, including soot accumulation on homes, respiratory issues, and skin irritations.

"Obviously, we can't draw causality. We can't say this came from that foundry and we know 100%," said Sidney. "But it is interesting that we were seeing a lot from people immediately around the foundry that they're like I'm getting sick more often or having a harder time breathing."

Recent efforts from ESEJ created an increased pressure on the MPCA to ensure full transparency and accountability in the permitting process. The MPCA  is now taking significant steps to address these concerns, including committing to a more inclusive and thorough public engagement process.

"For so long, MPCA ignored complaints like ours, assuming they were not legitimate. They know they can't do that anymore," said Mel Lorentz, environmental lawyer and member of ESEJ.

Mel attributes much of the change to environmental justice advocates across from other impacted communities, including East Phillips, Frogtown, and North Minneapolis. "I have never seen MPCA take such a strong stance to protect a community."

The push for stronger community involvement has led to concrete changes in how the MPCA plans to engage with residents during the upcoming comment period on Northern Iron’s air permit.

“We've been asking the MPCA to make sure there's time for the community to learn and have an understanding of what will be in that air permit," said Sidney. "It feels like that's a piece of informed consent. We want to know that if the foundry is going to be here they can operate in a way that isn't harmful to the rest of us."

 In response to community feedback, the MPCA has pushed for updated stack testing results, modeling, and other technical data to be made available to the public at the beginning of the comment period

The MPCA has committed to a 60-day public comment period and promised to host multiple community events, including information sessions and large public meetings, where residents can learn about the draft permit, ask questions, and provide feedback. These sessions will be held in multiple languages to ensure that non-English-speaking residents can fully participate. The MPCA also announced plans to distribute flyers and send direct mailings to impacted residents. Additionally, the MPCA will host tabling events at key community locations to raise awareness about the permit and upcoming comment period.

In a statement, the MPCA commissioner said,“The MPCA is committed to having all of the information necessary to write a draft permit that is protective of human health and the environment and as part of that process, we are committed to informing the community so they can participate in the draft permit comment period.”

In a letter dated March 6, the MPCA told Northern Iron, "This is the final time that MPCA will request information necessary to make its permitting decision. If Northern Iron fails to provide the information ... the MPCA will be forced to take appropriate action to consider a permit amendment for your facility, up to and including permit revocation." 

The MPCA’s renewed commitment to transparency and inclusivity is a testament to the power of grassroots advocacy. "Doing advocacy is just caring about something larger than yourself, and that's your community and all of the beautiful resources that we have around us," said Sidney.

The foundry’s request to expand its operations will be carefully scrutinized, with a focus on ensuring that any potential harms to public health are addressed..