The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act with Phoenix Global, a company in Burns Harbor, Indiana, that processes slag from a steel mill. The company paid $190,860 in penalties.

Slag is a waste product created during the steel smelting process. Slag contains hazardous metals like manganese, chromium, lead, nickel, aluminum and arsenic, which are easily released into the air as dust during processing. EPA alleges that Phoenix Global violated opacity regulations and violated its permit. In addition to the monetary penalty, the company will install equipment to reduce dust emissions from its processing plant equipment, slag pits and material storage piles.

This plant sits on the southernmost shores of Lake Michigan just west of the Indiana Dunes National Park. The settlement will reduce hazardous pollutants emissions and improve air quality in the national park and nearby communities of northwest Indiana.

Source: EPA