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Protecting Water Resources •
~ Oxhide Creek / Oxhide Lake
No direct discharge of water containing contaminants.
Water transfer from existing pits during initial dewatering and augmenting water flow thereafter.
~ Swan River / Swan Lake
No direct discharge of water containing contaminants.
Water transfer from existing pits during initial dewatering and augmenting water flow thereafter.
No perceptible change in water clarity.
~ Snowball Creek / Snowball Lake
No direct discharge of water containing contaminants.
Water transfer from existing pits during initial dewatering and augmenting water flow thereafter.
Slight improvements in phosphorous concentrations.
No perceptible change in water clarity.
~ O’Brien Creek / O’Brien Lake / Pickerel Creek
No direct discharge of water containing contaminants.
No augmentation proposed.
~ Little Sucker Lake / Little McCarthy Lake
No direct discharge of water containing contaminants.
~ Wetlands
Minnesota Steel will replace about 765 acres of wetlands
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Monitoring, Treating and Recycling Water •
- Minnesota Steel will not discharge any water that contains contaminants.
- Minnesota Steel will collect water seeping from the tailings basin and return it to the basin for re-use.
- Minnesota Steel will treat its process water and then recycle and reuse it in plant operations.
- Minnesota Steel will collect its process water, storm water and water from the pits for use in its operations.
- Minnesota Steel will monitor groundwater quality around the tailings basin.
- Minnesota Steel will monitor the water quality of Swan, Oxhide and Snowball lakes.
- Minnesota Steel will monitor the ecological health of Oxhide Creek.
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Minimizing Mercury •
Minnesota Steel made smart choices to keep mercury out of the environment by:
- Integrating ore processing and steelmaking onsite to cut energy use by 30%.
- Using clean-burning natural gas, which has very little mercury, instead of coal.
- Testing innovative emission control equipment on the pellet furnace.
- Using only clean scrap to supplement steelmaking.
Minnesota Steel will emit the least amount of mercury per ton of steel produced
anywhere in the world; mercury emissions will be 92% less than other steelmakers.
Scientific evaluations in the Environmental Impact Statement show mercury emissions
won’t harm the environment or the health of residents, farmers, or fishers.
Mercury occurring naturally in iron ore accounts for 97% of Minnesota Steel’s
mercury. The majority remains in the tailings basin.
Minnesota Steel is committed to further reductions through research and the
addition of controls that are proven technically and economically feasible for
the taconite industry.
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Controlling Air Emissions •
State-of-the-art emission controls will ensure the project will meet or
exceed all state and federal air quality standards.
Scientific analyses indicate that the air emissions from Minnesota Steel
will not harm human health or the environment.
Air emissions will be significantly lower than from typical iron ore
processing and steelmaking facilities. Air emissions may result from
the following:
- Mining and crushing
- Pellet plant
- Direct reduced iron (DRI) plant
- Steel mill, including electric arc furnace (EAF)
- Vacuum degasser and its boiler
- Slag handling
- Cooling towers
- Emergency generators and pumps
- Fugitive sources
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Emission Controls •
Minnesota Steel completed a Best Available Control Technology (BACT) analysis to
determine the best emission control equipment to reduce the impact of emissions
on the environment. Control equipment will help control particulates (PM); sulfur
dioxide (S02); nitrous oxide (NOx); carbon monoxide (CO); volatile organic chemicals
(VOCs); fluorides; hydrogen sulfide (H2S), sulfuric acid mist, mercury, hazardous
air pollutants (HAPs) and lead.
Depending upon the source, Minnesota Steel will use a variety of approaches to
minimize air emissions, including:
- Clean fuels like natural gas will help control SO2, NOx, CO, VOCs, HAPs, mercury & particulates.
- Good combustion practices will help control SO2, NOx, CO, VOCs, HAPs & particulates.
- Fabric filters / baghouses will help control particulates and HAPs.
- Special fuel burners (Low NOx, ultra low NOx and oxy fuel burners) will help control NOx.
- Wet scrubbers will help control SO2, particulates, sulfuric acid mist, lead, HAPs & fluorides.
- Fugitive dust control plans will help control particulates from roadways, stockpiles, tailings basin and other surfaces.
- LoTOx, an innovative control technology that will be tested to determine if it’s a feasible way to control NOx.
In all, Minnesota Steel will install:
30 fabric filters/bag houses
13 wet scrubbers
6 Low NOx burners.
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