SILVER BAY – A ruptured exhaust stack at Northshore Mining that was visible from Highway 61 drew the attention of motorists and community members this week.
Massive cranes and heavy equipment were observed working on the severely damaged exhaust stack Tuesday, Feb. 11. A large crack and opening in the side of the stack was visible to the naked eye from the highway.
When contacted by this reporter, Adam Sersha, the area manager at Cleveland-Cliffs Northshore Mining, declined to comment on how and when the exhaust stack was damaged.
“I’m not going to discuss this with you,” he said.
Sersha insisted comments on the matter come from company spokesperson Patricia Persico, who is based in Cleveland. Multiple emails and phone messages were left with Persico and no response was given to basic inquiries into the damaged exhaust stack and its impact on operations at Northshore Mining. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Multiple officials from the Control Agency who spoke with this reporter about the damaged exhaust stack declined to comment on any possible environmental consequences stemming from the situation.
“We continue to monitor Northshore Mining in accordance with its permits,” said Michael Rafferty, the communications supervisor for the MPCA. “We have no information to share about activities at the location and recommend contacting management at the facility.”
The speculation around Silver Bay this week was that the stack “blew up” or was severely damaged by freezing water. As of press time, Cleveland Cliffs officials have not offered any explanation for the damage.
Silver Bay Mayor Wade LeBlanc said the taconite processing plant is currently idled, and it potentially has something to do with the damaged exhaust stack.
“We want to support the mine and support Cliffs,” LeBlanc said in a Feb. 11 phone call. “We want to get them back up and running.”
Northshore Mining has been in the news on multiple fronts this month. Last week, The Minnesota Court of Appeals sided with an environmental group over a mining expansion project along the North Shore. They ruled that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must reconsider whether an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is necessary for the proposed expansion of the Mile Post 7 tailings pond. Northshore Mining is working to fulfill a permit allowing the company to expand the basin just 3 miles from Lake Superior. The Court of Appeals stated that DNR made a mistake not requiring an EIS, noting that it was “arbitrary and capricious.” As a result, they communicated that regulators must revisit their decision to require an Environmental Impact Statement.
According to its website, Cleveland-Cliffs is the biggest supplier of flat-rolled steel in North America. The steel produced here is a key component in automotive production. It operates four facilities in Minnesota, including Hibbing Taconite, United Taconite in Eveleth and the Minorca Mine in Virginia, as well as Northshore in Silver Bay, formerly known as Reserve Mining. Northshore mines taconite in Babbitt and ships it by rail to Silver Bay, where it is formed into gumball-sized bits of iron.
Cleavland-Cliffs previously idled Northshore in May 2022. At the time, the company had cited an abundance of ore on hand at its other properties, as well as disputes over royalty payments. The plant sat idle for nearly a year during that hiatus of operations.
