MPCA fines Northshore

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) concluded 23 enforcement cases totaling just under $400,000 in penalties during the second quarter of 2004. These enforcement cases occurred at sites in 16 counties throughout Minnesota.Northshore Mining was fined a total of $3,400 for air quality violations. Bob Beresford of the MPCA said Northshore’s penalty had to do with coal emissions at the test pilot nugget plant in Silver Bay.“The penalty was a result of a stack test failure. They have a bag filter on their coal crusher, the filter controls emissions on part of their pilot nugget plant,” said Beresford. “This was new equipment but they had some problems with the equipment and it failed a test last winter. “They retested a couple of months later and demonstrated compliance,” said Beresford. Following the submission of an operation and maintenance plan for the filter, the MPCA forgave $550 of the penalty. Northshore then paid the remaining $2,850.