Mittal Steel 2007 news -- Ohio Citizen Action

Dec 28, 2007: ArcelorMittal Cleveland community newsletter

CLEVELAND -- "In 2007 we invested millions of dollars in the future of the ArcelorMittal Cleveland facility to ensure we have the best and safest equipment available for our employees to produce the best products for our customers. While our goal is to make ArcelorMittal the most admired steel company in the world, we also believe we must be a good corporate citizen. By the end of 2007, the ArcelorMittal USA Foundation will have made grants totaling nearly $5 million with a significant focus on Cleveland and other Ohio communities," Terry Fedor, plant manager, ArcelorMittal Steel Cleveland community newsletter.

Dec 21: Full transcript of Mittal public hearing now available on-line

CLEVELAND -- "I grew up in Ohio, and I moved back to Ohio about a year-and-a-half ago from Boston, Massachusetts. I chose Tremont due to the culture and the restaurants and the neighborhood feel that it had. I looked at our house that we bought several times and never experienced the pollution until really the first day we moved in. Since then it's been pretty much a daily occurrence. I would say four or five times out of the week when I leave my front door I'm blasted with the sulfur, rotten egg smell. It's really disheartening, eye opening, and irritating, so much so, that I very rarely open my windows. I also have an eighteen month old and a nine day old at home, which while I'm concerned about my own health, these stories, Dr. Fagan's stats, really just fill me with a lot of fear for them," Beatty DiNovi, Tremont neighbor. (119 KB pdf)

Mittal Steel and Our Health, public hearing, November 14, 2007, full-text transcript (119 KB pdf), excerpts (32 KB doc).

Dec 20: Mittal Steel: "When is the airplane going to finally land?"

Donna Levandowski, neighbor of Mittal Steel

CLEVELAND -- "The noises happened again last night. At around 12:40 am Sergeant Palister [a security guard at Mittal Steel] called me back. He said he was standing below where the noise is. He said that our house is up higher and that we're going to hear it more. He said the complaint calls about the noises are because of the release valves and that you'll hear the noise for three minutes. I said it goes on all night long. He asked, 'Doesn't it go off and on?' I told him that it goes on all night long and I asked him when is the airplane going to finally land? He said that it's a release valve that they don't have any control over. He said he's going to call the towers today and see if they can get the noise under control. This morning I got a voicemail from Tom Krizman. He said he heard that I called in for some kind of noise last night. I called him back and left him a message that I'm sick of Mittal Steel interrupting my sleep. How would they [the management] like it if I stood outside their house all night long with a bullhorn and they couldn't get any sleep?," Donna Levandowski, neighbor on Independence Rd., leader in the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group.

Dec 19: Mittal Steel: "If I wanted to live near an airport I would move next to one."

Donna Levandowski, neighbor of Mittal Steel

CLEVELAND -- "Last night I couldn't sleep. It's been going on the last couple of weeks and I've been letting it go. But last night I was so annoyed with the noise from Mittal Steel. I don't know what they're doing behind my house. It sounded like we had an airplane in our backyard, a jet engine. I tried calling Mittal security about six or seven times and nobody answered the phone. The noise kept me awake from 12:30 am to around 4:30 or 5:00 am and then I dozed off. If I wanted to live near an airport I would move next to one. This morning I called Mittal Steel again to talk to Terry Fedor [Mittal's plant manager] and I was transferred to his secretary. I left a message for Terry Fedor. He has not called me back. Then I called Rich Zavoda [Mittal's environmental manager] and he didn't answer. Then I called Mittal's security and spoke with an agent who asked me what the sound was. I told him that with the fence that Mittal put up behind my house the noise sounds ten times worse. I asked him why they can't make these noises during the day. My kid has to go to school in the morning and none of us could sleep," Donna Levandowski, neighbor on Independence Road, leader in the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group.

Dec 14: Just how big is Mittal Steel in Cleveland?

The area of New York's Central Park is 843 acres. Mittal Steel Cleveland is almost 50% bigger, at 1,200 acres.

CLEVELAND -- "Mittal Steel is not only smack-dab in the middle of our city, it is vast. It's hard to fully appreciate how big it is, especially if you don't see it every day. If you've ever been to New York, here is a comparison that might help: What if the whole of New York's Central Park were occupied by an old steel complex pouring out pollution every day? Would New Yorkers stand for it? It wouldn't be as bad as what Clevelanders are faced with, because the Mittal Cleveland complex is almost 50% bigger than Central Park. That's why Clevelanders won't stand for it either," Liz Ilg, Cleveland Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.

P.S. To Mr. Mittal: For your neighborhood, the comparison would be as follows: Mittal Steel Cleveland is bigger than Kensington Gardens plus Hyde Park plus Buckingham Palace Gardens plus Green Park plus St. James Park plus Regents Park.

Dec 13: VIDEO: Mittal Steel and our health

CLEVELAND -- "On November 14, 2007, just over 100 Cleveland area residents gathered Wednesday night at Cuyahoga County Community College to hear testimony on pollution problems from Mittal Steel and speak their mind on the topic," Ohio Citizen Action.

Dec 3: Kids' drawings for Mittal Steel Cleveland

Nov 16: PHOTO GALLERY: Mittal Steel's Cleveland neighbors testify on steel company's air pollution and our health

Steven Danklef and his students
Steven Danklef, Tremont resident and Cleveland public school teacher, attended the meeting with his students from John Hay High School.

CLEVELAND -- "Just over 100 Cleveland area residents gathered Wednesday night at Cuyahoga County Community College to hear testimony on pollution problems from Mittal Steel and speak their mind on the topic. Kim Foreman from Environmental Health Watch chaired the public hearing and sat on the panel with Dr. Anne Wise from Neighborhood Family Practice and Dr. Dan Brustein from MEDSource One. Emily Lee with the American Lung Association commented on the increasing epidemic of asthma and lung disease in Ohio and in Cleveland. Dr. Kathy Fagan with CASE Western Reserve University's Swetland Environmental Health Center spoke about the pollutants Mittal Steel admits releasing into Cleveland's air and the health problems related such as heart and lung damage," Liz Ilg, Ohio Citizen Action.

Nov 15: Advocacy group brings in doctors to make case against Mittal

Dr. Fagan interview
Dan Bobkoff interviews Dr. Kathleen Fagan at last night's public hearing.

CLEVELAND -- "The advocacy group Ohio Citizen Action is enlisting area doctors and nurses to make their case that pollution from Mittal Steel's Cleveland plant is harming residents. The group organized a public meeting on community concerns about the plant at Tri-C's Metro Campus last night. Since 2005, activists and concerned residents have been pressuring Mittal Steel to clean up emissions from its large Cleveland plant. They complain that in nearby communities like Tremont and Old Brooklyn soot from the mill covers homes and there's a pervasive smell of sulfur. And there are anecdotal reports of increased health problems like asthma. At Ohio Citizen Action's public meeting, residents expressed what they believe the plant is doing to the community," Dan Bobkoff, WCPN.

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- ArcelorMittal posts $3 billion Q3 profit, Associated Press.

Nov 11: Concerns about global warming add to pressures on steel industry
Concerns about the environmental impact of carbon emissions produced in making steel add to the pressure of competition from abroad

night view of Mittal Steel

CLEVELAND -- "At least one industry analyst, Charles Bradford with Soleil Securities in New York, believes the so-called integrated mills, those that have blast furnaces, are particularly at risk. They produce at least three times the carbon emissions as an alternative method of steel making that melts scrap in an electric arc furnace. Several mills in Ohio still use blast furnaces, including ArcelorMittal in Cleveland, Republic Engineered Products in Lorain, WCI Steel in Warren and AK Steel in Middletown. Newer electric arc furnaces also dot the state. In recent years, Charter Steel installed one in Cleveland, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel built one in Steubenville and Russian steelmaker MMK is considering such a mill for the Portsmouth area along the Ohio River," Peter Krouse, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Nov 6: Arcelor Mittal spent $720,000 lobbying
Steel giant Arcelor Mittal spent $720,000 to lobby government on climate change, trade issues

NEW YORK, NY -- "The U.S. arm of steel giant Arcelor Mittal spent $720,000 to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2007, according to a disclosure form. The Luxembourg-based company, whose Mittal Steel USA division is based in Chicago, opposed efforts to establish a mandatory cap on emissions of gases linked to climate change and lobbied on efforts to limit Chinese steel subsidies, according to the disclosure form posted online Aug. 14 by the Senate's public records office," Associated Press.

Nov 2: PUBLIC HEARING: Mittal Steel and our health

public hearing panel
Dr. Kathleen Fagan, Kim Foreman, Dr. Anne Wise and Dr. Dan Brustein.

CLEVELAND -- "Join Cleveland area doctors, nurses, and community leaders for a public hearing on Mittal Steel and our health on Wednesday, November 14 at Tri-C’s downtown Metro campus from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Come to find out why 375 Cleveland area doctors and nurses have written to Cleveland’s biggest polluter, Mittal Steel, urging pollution prevention. You will also hear from Clevelanders living in neighborhoods next to the facility. Dr. Kathleen Fagan from University Hospital's Swetland Environmental Health Center will speak at the event paneled by Dr. Anne Wise, Kim Foreman, and Dr. Dan Brustein. Please contact me by email or phone at (216) 861-5200 if you would like more information," Liz Ilg, Ohio Citizen Action.

Oct 26: Kids' drawings for Mittal Steel Cleveland

Oct 18: Nurse's letter to Mittal Steel: "I wish you could accompany me for a day's work"

will you do your part? CLEVELAND -- "I am personally affected! I have asthma and so do my son and daughter. I am also a nurse who has worked for a long time with disabled children. I wish you could accompany me for a day's work, so that you could see tiny children with breathing problems. These children have to take all kinds of aerosol treatments all day long. Some cannot go outdoors because the air they would breathe is too polluted," letter dated October 4, 2007, from Virginia Lowel to Terry Fedor, Plant Manager, Mittal Steel Cleveland.

Oct 16: ArcelorMittal Cleveland community newsletter

CLEVELAND -- "ArcelorMittal Cleveland meets all federal and state environmental regulations. We regularly go beyond most standards. Our control system emissions of particulate matter average only 31 percent of the levels permitted under the federal Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards. This means our particulate emissions are less than one-third of the average of the best 12 percent of the best iron and steel mill control systems nationwide. Not only does ArcelorMittal Cleveland emit less than one-third of what the MACT allows, but the facility complied with these new standards before it had to," ArcelorMittal Cleveland. 695 KB pdf.

Oct 8: Kids drawings for Mittal Steel Cleveland

Oct 5: Letter to Mittal Steel: "studies have shown a link between air pollution and cardiovascular disease and death"

Dr. Paul Nickerson

CLEVELAND -- "As a retired internist of the Cleveland Clinic, I now have time to pursue medical issues that I previously never had time to contemplate. Although I am not a pulmonary or cardiology specialist my medical background makes me familiar with these fields and the medical aspects between air pollution and health. Earlier epidemiological studies have shown a link between air pollution and cardiovascular disease and death, even in those without a prior history of heart disease," Dr. Paul Nickerson, letter to Terry Fedor, plant manager, Mittal Steel Cleveland.

CAPETOWN, SOUTH AFRICA -- Waste shocks Green Scorpions, News24, South Africa.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- Mittal back in hot water with competition body, Mathabo le Roux, Business Day South Africa.

Oct 4: Baldwin Wallace student and soccer athlete talks about asthma

CLEVELAND -- "Baldwin Wallace student and soccer athlete Brittan Davis talks about what it's like to have asthma. In July, Brittan volunteered with the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group for a pollution wipe-down of Tremont homes. Brittan lived in Brooklyn Center near Mittal Steel this summer while participating in a service-learning program called Project Affinity," Liz Ilg, Ohio Citizen Action.

Oct 3: Neighbor of Mittal Steel in Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- "Steven Danklef is a school teacher, a Tremont resident and neighbor of Mittal Steel. He is also a long-distance runner. In this video clip, Steven talks about what it's like living next door to the biggest polluter in Cuyahoga County," Liz Ilg, Ohio Citizen Action.

Oct 2: Pollution problems for Tremont neighbors of Mittal Steel

Tremont neighbors of Mittal Steel reported pollution problems to us from May through September 2007. Follow the link to read more reports.

CLEVELAND -- "Kenilworth Ave. 09/06/07. 10:30 pm. I see a flare. I smell rotten eggs. My eyes are burning. My nose and throat are irritated. On certain nights, there is something really foul coming from the Mittal Steel plant. It starts around 10:30 pm as I am trying to fall asleep and I don't know when it ends. I wake up with a sore throat. Sometimes I put my fan in the window when it is hot, but that only blows the awful smell into my apartment. It's a shame, I like Tremont, but I think I will have to move at the end of my lease because I don't need problems with pollution," Neighbor of Mittal Steel. Data compiled by Evonne Klingshirn.

Sep 28: Letter to Mittal: "Please stop making excuses for not improving your facility"

CLEVELAND -- "I am a registered nurse and have seen firsthand the consequences of air pollution. I have cared for patients with many lung diseases. I have had to use suction machines to clear the airways of patients with tracheostomy tubes. I have run to answer the alarms of the ventilator patient in distress. Presently I work as a hospice nurse. Dying from a lung disease is one of the hardest to witness, not being able to breathe is terrifying. I am aware that lung disease is caused by many factors. One of those factors is the pollution coming from your factory. As a fellow human being and inhabitant of the earth, I implore you to clean up your facility.You can have an impact on the health and well-being of many. Please stop making excuses for not improving your facility," Theresa Giersz, RN, Parma Hospital Seasons of Life Hospice.

Sep 27: A neighbor of Mittal Steel in Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- "Angel, a Tremont neighbor of Mittal Steel in Cleveland loves everything about her neighborhood except for the pollution," Ohio Citizen Action.

Sep 26: Letter to Mittal: "Our community's air deserves our defense"

CLEVELAND -- "Now, in the Tremont area, routine air pollution causes a sulfurous odor to greet us most mornings. More to the point, there is evidence that the millions of pounds of sulfur dioxide and other matter Mittal vents to the air each year may contribute to the high rates of asthma and other ailments that their Cleveland neighbors suffer. By avoiding stack tests, Mittal has shirked responsibility for investigating its own offenses to neighbors. By avoiding installation of a commonly used baghouse filtration systems, Mittal has persisted with pollution that is seven-fold worse than it could be," John Egar, M.D., Ph.D., MetroHealth Medical Center.

Sep 24: Neighbor of Mittal Steel in Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- "Marc Dorsey, a Tremont resident and neighbor of Mittal Steel talks about what it's like living next door to the biggest polluter in Cuyahoga County," Liz Ilg, Ohio Citizen Action.

Sep 21: Air pollution triggers blood clots: study

Pollution over downtown Cleveland 9/20/07.

CHICAGO, IL -- "Tiny particles of air pollution -- less than one tenth the width of a human hair -- can trigger clotting in the blood, U.S. researchers said on Thursday in a finding that helps explain how air pollution causes heart attacks and strokes. Large population studies have shown pollution from the exhaust of trucks, buses and coal-burning factories increases the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes. But researchers have not understood how these microscopic particles actually kill people," Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters.

CLEVELAND -- Air Quality Advisory issued, Air Quality Advisory is in effect for Thursday PM and Friday for Northeast Ohio due to Fine Particles, WKYC.

Sep 18: Mittal: the choice of ethical investors?
The errant steelmaker appears in portfolios of managers who take the moral high ground, and also the JSE’s socially responsible index

VANDERBIJKPARK, SOUTH AFRICA -- "The Earth Equity fund says it 'uses its presence to promote awareness of corporate responsibility performance measures, including environmental management, social responsibility, economic empowerment and corporate governance.' These principles seem to clash with the tribunal's findings. It stated that anti-competitive behaviour such as Mittal's 'causes considerable damage to customers of the affected products and to the structure and fabric of the economy,'" Julius Cobbett, MoneyWeb.

Sep 14: Study sees cities' air quality worsening

Cleveland's industrial valley provides a backdrop for vehicle traffic on Interstate 90 through the city Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007.

CLEVELAND -- "A study released Thursday predicts more bad air days in the summer for Cleveland, Columbus and eight other eastern U.S. cities if global warming continues unabated. Those cities are expected to have an increase in unsafe air days caused by ground-level ozone, which is formed from a combination of vehicle and factory pollutants and sunlight and heat. The analysis was conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council in partnership with several universities, including Yale and Johns Hopkins, and was published in the scientific journal Climatic Change," Joe Milicia, Washington Post.

Sep 13: Mittal Steel smoke and metal flakes rain down on Independence Road

photo by Walter Novak

CLEVELAND -- "I was letting the dog out Tuesday night when I heard a rumbling noise. When you hear this noise you know the blast furnaces at Mittal Steel are going to go off. Between 8:15pm and 8:53pm the blast furnaces blew up three times. Three times I saw clouds of black smoke followed by sparkling glitter coming down like rain and landing on my house and car. On Wednesday I called George Baker with the Cleveland Division of Air Quality and he said he is sending someone out to investigate," Donna Levandowski, Neighbor of Mittal Steel.

CLEVELAND -- Eau de Mittal, "Why is it that people can't see the connection between sick kids and the steel plant? Do you know why Cleveland is becoming a medical mecca? Could our city be making us sick? I've driven by the plant and couldn't believe the foul odor originating from it. I can't imagine living near there. I'm sure we all get a taste of these toxins as they settle across our city," Carla Wainwright, letter to the editor, Cleveland Scene.

BHUBANESWAR, INDIA -- Tribals protest against Arcelor Mittal, "'We will lose our only means of livelihood and will be evicted from our villages,' one of them said, while resolving to carry on their fight against the proposed project. At least 13,000 people will be displaced under the Patana block of Keonjhar district where the plant is to come up," The Statesman.

Sep 10: Mittal risks higher fine if it appeals

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- "Steel giant Mittal South Africa has been advised to reconsider its decision to possibly appeal a record fine of nearly R700 million (over $95 million) imposed by the Competition Tribunal here, as a group of local steel users may institute a class action that could see damages of R20 billion being claimed. The tribunal this week imposed the fine of R691.8 million as part of its remedial actions after it found in March that Mittal SA was guilty of anti-competitive practices. The charges were brought by several local steel product manufacturers who claimed that Mittal was charging them more for flat steel products than the price at which it was exporting," Sify, India.

Sep 4: Mittal Steel's stonewalling builds ill will

BURNS HARBOR, IN -- "Close readers of the Post-Tribune will note that virtually all the news about the tragic accident at Mittal Steel USA in Burns Harbor comes not from the company, but from the union. In fact, the company spokesman has called it an 'incident,' and some people were injured, and they were taken to various hospitals. They wouldn't give names. They wouldn't give conditions. They wouldn't say what hospitals. Ultimately, the media had to rely on union heads who, while taking care of their fallen friends, still had the time to return dozens of calls and answer every minute question," Rich Jackson, Gary Post-Tribune. Article originally published on September 1, 2007.

Aug 31: Mittal Steel turns over 500 pages of data in U.S. EPA probe of whether firm underreported Cleveland pollution

heading

CLEVELAND -- "This letter and its attachments are the response of ISG Cleveland Inc. to the U.S. EPA Region V Clean Air Act regarding the steel facility located at 3060 Eggers in Cleveland, Ohio which we received on May 23, 2007. ISG Cleveland hereby provides this timely response to the Request within 30 days of recept as requested," Terry Fedor, Plant Manager, Mittal Steel Cleveland.

Aug 27: Invitation to Lakshmi Mittal

CLEVELAND -- "I read last week of your August 8 tour of Dofasco’s steelmaking and hot mill facilities in Hamilton, Canada. Cleveland, Ohio is only 163 miles from Hamilton, a half-hour trip on one of your corporate jets. The neighbors of your ArcelorMittal Steel plant in Cleveland invite you to visit the Cleveland facility and its Cleveland neighbors. They are interested, as I imagine you are, in your continued production of steel in the community with fewer air emissions. The best way to reach this common goal is to open the lines of communication between decision makers at ArcelorMittal Steel and its Cleveland neighbors," Liz Ilg, Cleveland area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.

Aug 23: Battling the Steel Baron
Sleeping regulators, the world's fifth-richest man, and some very sick kids. Mittal won't be an easy fight

Arlene Green's kids come in from playing outside with rashes all over their bodies. Photo by Walter Novak.

CLEVELAND -- "In June, the Cleveland mill made its first international shipment in five years, exporting 12,000 tons of hot-rolled coils on a freighter bound for Belgium. The news was the equivalent of a moon landing for the city. But not at Ohio Citizen Action. In case you haven't noticed the thousands of yard signs sticking up around town, the environmental group says Mittal is poisoning residents. And it wants Mittal to 'Clean Up for Real.' The Slavic Village homes overlooking the plant have a beautiful view of hell. Flames shooting 20 feet in the air. Glowing vats of iron ore. Sparks like the Fourth of July. A choking smell like rotting garlic. Nowhere does the Cleveland motto 'You've gotta be tough' apply more than here," Jared Klaus, Cleveland Scene.

Aug 17: 317 doctors and nurses write Mittal Steel

doctors names

CLEVELAND -- "Dear Mr. Fedor, Within the last seven months you have received 185 letters from Cleveland area doctors and nurses who have stated the health harms linked to the pollution Mittal Steel puts out over the Cleveland area. I'm writing you today with 132 more letters from medical professionals, bringing the total to 317... Our children are at great risk, Mr.Fedor. To see a small child with an asthma inhaler is a very sad thing. It is time for you to listen to the doctors of Cleveland; they know, they treat what should be prevented. It is time to do something about pollution from your facility in the places where we live and breathe. The Neighbors of Mittal Steel group invites you to meet, Mr. Fedor, so that a solution can be found," Ina Roth, Letter to plant manager Terry Fedor.
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Aug 10: Sparrows Point plant fined for air pollution violation

BALTIMORE, MD -- "Mittal Steel's Sparrow Point steel mill near Baltimore is being fined more than $98,000 for air pollution violations. The Maryland Department of the Environment says the violations included failure to operate a required particulate and dust control systems. Some of the violations have been corrected, others must be addressed by deadlines contained in a consent decree," Associated Press.

GARY, IN -- Indiana must improve wastewater process, "A wastewater discharge permit for Mittal Steel, listed under its former owner International Steel Group, expired 16 years ago," Gary Post-Tribune.

Aug 9: Tremont ArtWalk: Neighbors of Mittal Steel group to host "Pollution Stinks" art exhibit

Before and after samples of the rags used in the pollution wipedown in Tremont.

CLEVELAND -- "Please join the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group this Friday, August 10 from 7:30pm - 9:30pm for an exhibit of pollution art during the August Tremont ArtWalk. The exhibit will feature soot-covered rags collected from wiping down pollution at 76 homes in Tremont and Brooklyn Center along with environmental artwork and photographs from local artists Angela Oster and Lou Muenz. The exhibit will be held at The Mutt Hutt, 2603 Scranton Rd., Cleveland, Ohio 44113. A $5 donation will be asked to help with the cost of this summer's pollution wipe-downs. Please contact me with any questions at (216) 861-5200 or lilg@ohiocitizen.org," Liz Ilg, Cleveland Area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.

Aug 6: Letter to Mittal Steel from Old Brooklyn

Kyle McDonald

CLEVELAND -- My name is Kyle McDonald. I live in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood which I’m sure you know is quite close to Mittal Steel. I think it’s good for Cleveland to have such a strong company to be a part of the city, but I’m alarmed at the amount of pollution that your plant puts out. As a neighbor, I’m worried that I’ll suffer from some serious health effects such as cancer or induced asthma. I feel that your have a responsibility to our community to modernize your facility and greatly reduce your pollution. With Mittal being such an extremely large company, I know very well that you could afford to do it," Kyle McDonald, Letter to plant manager Terry Fedor.

Jul 23: “Mittal contravenes environmental laws”

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- "Inspectors have found that the Vereeniging site of the giant Mittal Steel company contravenes environmental laws, the environment department said on Thursday. Departmental spokesman Mava Scott said some activities at the site took place without the proper environmental authorisations. 'This includes the dumping of hazardous waste on a site without a permit despite repeated instructions from authorities to stop, and emissions into the air that cause, have caused, or may cause significant and serious pollution of the environment.' The hazardous waste is dust, generated by the furnaces at the site," The South African Citizen.

Jul 20: Steel maker faces criminal investigation
Green police pounce on Mittal Steel

CAPETOWN, SOUTH AFRICA -- "Mittal Steel South Africa yesterday became the country's second corporate to fall foul of the Green Scorpions - the environmental management inspectors from the department of environmental affairs and tourism. The steel maker was cited for transgressing environmental legislation and permits at its Vereeniging plant. It also received notice that a criminal investigation had begun into its continued dumping of hazardous waste at an unauthorised site despite repeated instructions to stop," Ingi Salgado, Business Report.

Jul 19: Investigation uncovers Mittal's dirty habits

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- "Inspectors have found that the Vereeniging site of the giant Mittal Steel company contravenes environmental laws, the environment department said on Thursday... 'This includes the dumping of hazardous waste on a site without a permit despite repeated instructions from authorities to stop, and emissions into the air that cause, have caused or may cause significant and serious pollution of the environment,'" Business Report.

Jul 17: COMMUNITY MEETING:
Neighbors of Mittal Steel to cook out in Lincoln Park

balloons on Mittal sign

CLEVELAND -- Join the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group this Saturday, July 21 for a cookout in Lincoln Park, Tremont (between W. 14th St., Kenilworth Ave., and Starkweather Ave). Members of the group will discuss Mittal Steel’s pollution in the neighborhood starting at 11am. Hot dogs and veggie dogs will be provided. If you'd like to bring a drink or a side dish, please contact me at (216) 861-5200, Liz Ilg, Ohio Citizen Action.

Jul 12: Mittal Steel Community Newsletter

CLEVELAND -- "Cleveland's air quality continues to improve, and Cuyahoga County last year met federal standards for both fine particulates and ozone, according to state and federal Environmental Protection Agency reports for 2006. Ambient air levels of fine particulates in Cuyahoga County were 27 percent lower compared with 2005, while ozone levels have met the federal standard for the third year... Experts say the main problem is cars, trucks and buses,” Mittal Steel USA - Cleveland. 1,651 Kb pdf.

Jul 10: Mittal Steel Neighbors wipe down pollution in Tremont

Tremont wipe down

Back row: Stephen Gabor, Dorothy Friedl, Stephen Ilg, Nate McNeil, Jared Klaus, Mark Smith. Second row standing: Brittan Davis, Carol Kowalczyk, Ulyssess Stokes, Liz Ilg. Front Standing: Stephanie Hume, Jess I., Brittany Hillyer, Stephanie LaGore, Ina Roth. Back row kneeling: Steven Danklef, Christa Ebert, Catie Campeau. Front kneeling: Jessica Kramer, Marc Dorsey.

CLEVELAND -- "This past Saturday the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group gathered in Lincoln Park to wipe down Mittal Steel’s pollution in the neighborhood. Nineteen volunteers gathered soot off of 32 homes surrounding Mittal. These soot-covered rags will highlight the problems that soot from the steel mill cause in the surrounding neighborhoods. Swipe samples taken from homes in Tremont in March 2006 found chromium, copper, manganese, vanadium, and zinc. These are the same heavy metals that Mittal Steel admits that they pollute to Cleveland’s air, land, and water each year (Ohio EPA, Toxic Release Inventory 2005). Please join the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group for their next gathering on July 21 at 11:00 AM in Lincoln Park or on August 4 for a clean-up of Mittal’s pollution in Slavic Village. For more information contact Liz Ilg at 216-861-5200,” Brittan Davis, Ohio Citizen Action.

Jul 4: For the (dead) birds

CLEVELAND -- "It's 'another testament to Mittal's environmental stewardship and the vast improvement that has been made to the quality of the air and water in the area,' reads the company's latest newsletter. 'We have to admit a steel mill isn't the most cuddly place in town -- but it seems to suit these peregrine falcon nestlings just fine.' In other words, 'If these here birds haven't croaked, then you and your family should be just fine... we think.' But Liz Ilg of Ohio Citizen Action, whose campaign against Mittal sparked the EPA's investigation, isn't falling for the old cute little birdie trick. Neighbors with orange stains on their homes and kids with chronic asthma may provide better testament" Cleveland Scene.
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Jul 3: Neighbors of Mittal Steel group to wipe down Tremont

rag

Rags for the cleanup are printed with the message "Mittal Steel clean up for real."

CLEVELAND -- "Join the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group this Saturday, July 7, from 11am to 2pm for a 'wipe-down' of Mittal Steel soot in Tremont. Neighbors and volunteers will meet at Lincoln Park in Tremont between Kenilworth Ave., Starkweather Ave., and W. 14th St before heading out in groups to Tremont homes. All rags and cleaning supplies will be provided. For questions contact me at 216.861.5200," Liz Ilg, Ohio Citizen Action.

Mittal Steel news from Jan-Jun 2007, Jul-Dec 2006, Jan-Jun 2006, Jul-Dec 2005, Jan - Jun 2005, 2004