Take a Breath Detroit - Severstal Steel Wins right to release increased pollutants

[Lowell]

The Russian Steel company Severstal that owns the steel-making operations at the legendary Rouge industrial complex in Dearborn has won the right to release increased pollutants into the air from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced its approval Monday of a controversial revised permit that will allow the Severstal Dearborn steel plant — which a DEQ official called “the most egregious facility in the state” for pollution violations in 2012 — to release higher levels of pollutants into the air.

Severstal is a Russian company that bought the old Rouge Steel plant at 4001 Miller Road out of bankruptcy in 2004. Plant officials sought for years to revise a 2006 DEQ emissions permit after smokestack testing showed the factory far exceeding allowed releases for lead, manganese, carbon monoxide and fine dust particles. Plant officials wanted the allowed pollution levels changed to reflect Severstal’s actual emissions, while grandfathering the permit so it was considered under 2006 rules rather than stricter, more modern standards.

Quoted from Freep.com article

Prevailing weather patterns means the largest proportions of the Severstal pollutants drift toward the cities of Detroit and Windsor. The most immediate recipients of the pollution will be Dearborn's South End where opposition to Severstal and its many past violations has been mounted.

Environmental attorney Chris Bzdok, who represents a group of residents in Dearborn’s South End, said his clients “plan to contest this by every means available in court.”

“It’s legally suspect. It’s technically deficient,” he said. “Severstal should be ashamed of themselves for what they are doing and how they did it.”

Severstal officials did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

The Free Press reported May 4 that DEQ e-mails obtained via the state Freedom of Information Act showed the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Gov. Rick Snyder’s business-promoting agency, worked behind the scenes with Severstal on its desired permit change. MEDC’s involvement came after Snyder and MEDC president and CEO Michael Finney met with a Severstal plant manager at the factory’s grand opening in Dearborn in June 2012.

Allowing Severstal to operate under 2006 permit rules lets it avoid costly, more advanced and efficient pollution control technologies.

[Wesley Mouch]

Lowell, are you saying the EPA is not following the law of the land? First the IRS, now the EPA are granting special favors for political purposes?

[ferndalien]

Not that I'm on the side of polluters, but this isn't technically a permit to release MORE pollutants. It's just establishing Severstal's emissions limits to be what their emissions are today, rather than requiring them to reduce them to the levels that would have been required had the 2006 permit stood.

That the supervisor of permitting at DEQ thinks this is "perfectly acceptable" is what is really shameful. This action is in direct conflict with the DEQ's mission and many of it's stated goals. Seems they should drop the Q from DEQ's name...