Environmental Concerns Rise as Ohio Steel Plant Plans Extended Fossil Fuel Use
Residents of Middletown, Ohio, face ongoing environmental challenges as the Cleveland-Cliffs steel plant continues operations fueled by coal and coke. Vivian Adams, who moved from Louisville to Middletown four years ago, reports a worsening of her six-year-old daughter's asthma since their relocation.
“My daughter was born prematurely so she already had lung issues,” she says, “[but] it’s gotten worse. She stays sick and coughing and can’t breathe. She’s had to go on everyday medication for her asthma, plus she has a rescue inhaler.”
The steel plant, located just a few hundred yards behind Adams’s home, has been a persistent source of pollution. This facility is notable as the workplace of James Vance, grandfather of US Vice-President JD Vance, who was born and raised in Middletown. JD Vance has publicly criticized the plant’s operations as a “scam,” despite his election campaigns being supported by fossil fuel companies.
Adams describes the visible pollution impact on her household:
“We sit on our chairs and there’s a bunch of black stuff on them, on our vehicle, it’s soot. It’s on their toys, so you can’t leave them outside.”
Recent developments indicate that pollution levels and environmental risks may persist or worsen. New permitting documents available on the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s website reveal Cleveland-Cliffs’ plan to reline the blast furnace at its Middletown facility. This project, costing several hundred million dollars, will extend fossil fuel combustion at the plant for an estimated 15 to 18 years.
“It’s horrible,” Adams states. “The smell some days is absolutely awful.”
Last summer, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves expressed optimism about the upgrade, using language reminiscent of former President Donald Trump:
He envisioned a “beautiful coal, beautiful coke” enhancement to the plant.
The No. 3 blast furnace, originally installed in the 1950s, consumes hundreds of thousands of tons of coke annually to produce approximately 3 million tons of raw steel.
This decision follows the Trump administration’s cancellation of a $500 million grant intended to replace the coke-burning infrastructure with a hydrogen-powered furnace. The hydrogen furnace, projected to be operational by 2027, would have made the Middletown facility the lowest greenhouse gas-emitting steel plant globally.
Consequently, Middletown residents may endure decades more of pollution and associated health risks. Despite the Biden administration’s efforts to promote cleaner steel production, Goncalves expressed support for the previous administration’s policies, stating last year:
“I believe what Trump’s trying to do is for the betterment of the country.”
Requests for comment sent to Cleveland-Cliffs regarding whether the Department of Energy funds previously allocated for the hydrogen project have been redirected to finance the blast furnace relining went unanswered. Similar inquiries to the Department of Energy in Washington, DC, also received no response.
Anthony Chenault of the Environmental Protection Agency commented on waste management related to the project:
“Cleveland-Cliffs is already a large quantity generator of hazardous waste and is responsible for determining whether any waste from this work is hazardous or non-hazardous and managing it accordingly.”
Chenault was unable to provide estimates on the volume of waste generated by the relining, its classification, or disposal locations.
“Disposal options are selected by the facility, consistent with state and federal requirements,” Chenault added.
A report by Industrious Labs, a non-profit organization advocating for decarbonization of heavy industries in the US, identified Middletown Works as one of the top 10 emitters of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants among over 650 Ohio emitters.
Ariana Criste of Industrious Labs explained the projected health impacts based on current pollution and population levels:
“We estimate over the 18 years following the relining of Middletown Works 810 to 1,476 premature deaths, 132,300 lost school days,” along with numerous other health issues.
According to the EPA’s National Emissions Inventory database from 2020, the site ranks as the 11th worst emitter of carbon monoxide in the United States.
Adjacent to Middletown Works is the SunCoke Energy facility, capable of burning up to 550,000 tons of coal annually to produce coke, contributing significantly to local pollution.
“Together, these two facilities account for over half of Ohio’s total health impacts from steel and coke plant pollution, contributing to an estimated $1.3 billion to $2.3 billion in health costs annually in the state,” Criste noted.
Despite benefits from the Trump administration’s steel tariffs, the industry experienced a decline last year. Cleveland-Cliffs idled an iron ore and a taconite mine in Minnesota, resulting in 600 job losses, and announced further layoffs in January. In February, the company reported anticipated revenue losses of $600 million for 2025. CEO Goncalves attributed these declines to automotive production challenges and adverse market conditions in Canada.
Steel imports decreased significantly last year, largely due to tariffs. However, analysts suggest that few beyond industry leaders like Goncalves have benefited from the tariff regime. Sectors such as automotive manufacturing have suffered from reduced consumer demand caused by increased steel prices.
Cleveland-Cliffs, the largest producer of flat-roll steel in North America, employs approximately 25,000 people across Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. With the Trump administration’s support, communities neighboring the company’s plants face prolonged exposure to air pollution.
Last month, Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans to reline the blast furnace at its Burns Harbor Works facility in Indiana next year. This plant is located near Indiana’s only national park and along Lake Michigan’s southern shore, close to several towns. The American Lung Association assigned Porter County, home to Burns Harbor Works, an “F” grade for high ozone days and 24-hour particle pollution.
For Vivian Adams and her children, aged nine, six, and four, the news of the blast furnace relining is particularly disheartening as she hopes to purchase the home she currently rents.
“It is everything we need or wanted,” she said, waiting outside her home for her children to return from school.
The company periodically sends crews to residents’ properties to pressure wash soot and chemical dust from their houses. Adams recalls one occasion when workers damaged a door and performed inadequate cleaning.
“They do the worst job in the world.”
Adams expressed a wish to speak with JD Vance, who grew up approximately four miles away, urging him to advocate for the cleaner hydrogen-powered system proposed by the previous administration.
“If this is on the cars, imagine what’s going into our lungs?”
