Ohio Steel Plant's Costly Reline Plan Extends Fossil-Fuel Use Amid Health Concerns
Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works is planning to reline the blast furnace at its facility in Ohio, a move that could cost several hundred million dollars. This investment will likely extend fossil-fuel burning at the plant for another 15 to 18 years, raising significant environmental and health risks for local residents.
Residents Face Worsening Health Issues Due to Pollution
Vivian Adams, who moved to Middletown four years ago, has seen her six-year-old daughter's asthma worsen dramatically. "My daughter was born prematurely so she already had lung issues," Adams explains. "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 pollution from the coal-burning steel plant, located just hundreds of yards from her home, is a constant presence.
Adams describes the soot and chemical dust that coats everything outside: "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 permitting documents from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency confirm the reline plan, which residents like Adams find alarming. "It's horrible," she says. "The smell some days is absolutely awful."
Political and Economic Context of the Reline Decision
The blast furnace in question, first installed in the 1950s, uses hundreds of thousands of tons of coke annually to produce around 3 million tons of raw steel. Last summer, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves echoed Donald Trump's rhetoric, announcing a "beautiful coal, beautiful coke" upgrade to investors. This move follows the Trump-Vance administration's cancellation of a $500 million grant that would have funded a hydrogen-powered furnace, potentially making the Middletown facility the world's lowest greenhouse gas-emitting steel plant.
JD Vance, the U.S. vice-president who was born and raised in Middletown, has repeatedly called clean energy projects a "scam" and received campaign funding from fossil fuel companies during his time as an Ohio senator. His grandfather worked at the same steel plant for years, adding a personal connection to the industry.
Environmental and Health Impacts Documented
A 2024 report by Industrious Labs, a non-profit focused on decarbonizing heavy industries, found that Middletown Works ranks among the top 10 emitters of pollutants like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide in Ohio. Ariana Criste of Industrious Labs states, "Based off the estimated health impact of the Middletown steel mill and its coke supplier, SunCoke Energy, and assuming that pollution and population levels remain constant, 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 other health issues.
The site is the 11th worst emitter of carbon monoxide in the United States, according to 2020 EPA data. Adjacent to the plant, SunCoke Energy burns up to 550,000 tons of coal yearly to produce coke, exacerbating pollution levels. Criste adds, "Together, these two facilities account for over half of Ohio's total health impacts from steel and coke plant pollution, contributing to an estimated $1.3bn to $2.3bn in health costs annually in the state."
Industry Challenges and Broader Implications
Despite tariffs under the Trump administration aimed at supporting U.S. steelmakers, the industry reported only 3% growth last year. Cleveland-Cliffs has faced setbacks, including idling mines in Minnesota with 600 job losses and announcing further layoffs and revenue declines. Goncalves attributed these issues to automotive production problems and market dynamics.
Steel imports fell by 12.6% last year due to tariffs, but analysts argue that benefits are limited to steel executives like Goncalves, while industries such as automotive have seen layoffs from higher steel costs. The company employs about 25,000 people across several states and Ontario, and with the reline plan, communities near its facilities face prolonged air pollution risks.
In a related development, Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans to reline a blast furnace at its Burns Harbor Works in Indiana next year, located near a national park and Lake Michigan. The American Lung Association gives Porter county, home to this plant, an "F" rating for high ozone and particle pollution.
Community Response and Future Outlook
For Vivian Adams, who hopes to buy the home she rents, the reline news is a major disappointment. "It is everything we need or wanted," she says, waiting for her children's school bus on a recent evening. The company occasionally sends crews to pressure wash soot off residents' properties, but Adams criticizes the effort: "They do the worst job in the world," noting that workers once broke a door.
If she could speak to JD Vance, Adams would urge him to support cleaner alternatives like the hydrogen-powered system. "If this is on the cars, imagine what's going into our lungs?" she questions. The Ohio EPA's Anthony Chenault notes that Cleveland-Cliffs must manage waste from the reline according to regulations, but specifics on volume and disposal remain unclear.
Emails to Cleveland-Cliffs and the Department of Energy regarding funding reallocation went unanswered, leaving residents uncertain about the future. As the reline progresses, Middletown's community continues to grapple with the balance between industrial activity and public health.
