ArcelorMittal

A northwest Indiana steel maker has agreed to make upgrades to prevent spills in Lake Michigan’s waterways and pay $3 million in penalties.

The sale was motivated by a need to please investors after a year of losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Environmental Law & Policy Center identified at least 15 times this summer where ArcelorMittal discharged more pollutants into the water than its permit allows.

In a letter to ArcelorMittal this week, IDEM says the northwest Indiana facility has been retesting when test results are higher than they should be. ArcelorMittal denies the accusations.

Two environmental groups made good on their promise to sue steelmaker ArcelorMittal on Wednesday.

Mayor John Cannon says ArcelorMittal should monitor for excess chemicals more frequently and send those test results to IDEM daily, place backups for its warning systems in the facility, and replace the fish lost in the Little Calumet River.

The environmental groups are giving ArcelorMittal, state and federal regulators 60 days to take action or else theyll sue.

The agency says three consecutive days of tests have been positive, including two days with no detection of cyanide.

The spill is still under investigation and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will lead the effort.

ArcelorMittal has been fined $14,000 after a steelworker died in an April train accident at the company's Indiana Harbor steel mill in northwestern Indiana.