2. EPA steps in on Smith Foundry, where the MPCA failed
Minneapolis Earth Day march 2023 by Smith Foundry. Photo by Devon Young Cupery.
Issues: The EPA did a surprise inspection of Smith Foundry in Minneapolis in the Spring of 2023 and found air quality violations — issues the MPCA had not identified. Smith Foundry in the East Phillips neighborhood had been violating its air quality permit since 2018, emitting unsafe levels of lead and asthma-inducing fine particle pollution, the EPA said. East Phillips is a low-income and diverse neighborhood with high asthma rates. Nearby residents, bicyclists on the Greenway, and children at Circulo de Amigos Child Care Center have been breathing these pollutants for at least five years.
MPCA’s shortcomings: After the EPA report became public, MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler said that “the state has no evidence Smith Foundry sent elevated levels of lung-damaging fine particulate matter into the neighborhood,” the StarTribune reported. Providing no further information, the comment undermined the EPA’s findings. In response to the EPA notice of violations, Smith Foundry did repairs, including replacing three major filters (called baghouses). An air test done after the pollution upgrades showed the company was complying with its permit. The MPCA tried to hide it failure, issuing a media release saying the foundry’s recent air pollution test results “verify” that the foundry “is not emitting more particulate matter than allowed by its permit.” The tests didn’t verify anything other than pollution control improvements triggered by the EPA’s warnings reduced the air pollution. This likely would not have happened but for the EPA’s inspection.
Links:
Aug. 15, 2023 letter from EPA to Smith Foundry, including notice and finding of violations
EPA’s Clean Air Act inspection report of Smith Foundry, drafted June 8, 2023 for a May 26 inspection.
MPCA’s Smith Foundry webpage
Nov. 21, 2023 Star Tribune article: MPCA: We have no evidence Smith Foundry polluted Minneapolis neighborhood