A Cyanide Spill in Lake Michigan Tributary Results in a $3 Million Settlement
The owner of a Northwest Indiana steel mill agreed to pay $3 million in penalties, donate more than 100 acres of land for conservation and agree to pollution controls after a 2019 spill of ammonia and cyanide killed thousands of fish in a Lake Michigan tributary.
Cleveland-Cliffs settled lawsuits brought by government and nonprofit organizations, including Chicago’s Environmental Law and Policy Center. The spill into the Little Calumet River near the plant’s Burns Harbor site reportedly killed almost 3,000 fish when the plant was owned by ArcelorMittal.
“This is a big win for protecting the Great Lakes,” ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner said in an interview. “In addition to penalizing past bad behavior it’s important to say, ‘Let’s make the environment better going forward.”
