Community Demands Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Revoke Northern Iron’s Permit

Community Demands Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Revoke Northern Iron’s Permit

ST PAUL, MN — April 11, 2025 — Community members are rallying in front of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) office on April 11 to demand that the MPCA revoke Northern Iron’s permit to operate. Called by the Climate Justice Committee (CJC), this rally is in response to years of Northern Iron’s excessive pollution in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of Saint Paul.

Northern Iron is a foundry within a residential area, within sight of homes, schools, gyms, and grocery stores. The foundry is an emitter of particulate matter, fine soot,heavy metals such as lead, and other harmful pollutants. In 2024, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) took action to limit Northern Iron’s operations because Northern Iron surpassed legal limits on lead pollution as well as other toxic emissions. 

On March 6, 2025, MPCA warned Northern Iron that the foundry would have to produce evidence that they are operating within compliance of their permit requirements and legal emission limits. MPCA stated that if Northern Iron was unable to prove compliance by March 27, 2025, they would “be forced to take appropriate action to consider a permit amendment for [Northern Iron], up to and including permit revocation.” Northern Iron has since turned in their requested paperwork, and the MPCA is now reviewing Northern Iron’s pollution levels, and determining how to proceed with Northern Iron’s permitting.

Community members, climate activists, and neighbors of Northern Iron are rallying to demand that MPCA take this review process seriously and put the community above the profits of Northern Iron, revoking Northern Iron’s permit to operate within East Side. 

“The community members living in East Side, Saint Paul have been suffering the health consequences of this for many years,” said Rachel Braaten of the CJC. “We are calling on the Pollution Control Agency to revoke Northern Iron’s permit. If Northern Iron refuses to abide by their permit, insisting community members shoulder the downstream costs of their pollution, then we say: Shut it down!”