Middletown, OH - In a stark example of prioritizing corporate profits over community well-being, Cleveland-Cliffs is moving forward with a multi-million dollar project to reline the blast furnace at its Middletown Works facility. This decision, guaranteeing the plant's operation for another 15 to 18 years, comes at the expense of the health and environmental safety of Middletown residents, who will continue to bear the brunt of pollution from the coke-burning steel plant.

The situation is particularly galling considering the previous availability of a $500 million grant earmarked for transitioning the plant to hydrogen-powered infrastructure. This transition, which was axed by the Trump-Vance administration, would have transformed the Middletown facility into one of the world's lowest greenhouse gas-emitting steel plants. Instead, residents are condemned to endure decades more of toxic air and environmental degradation.

For residents like Vivian Adams, the consequences are already devastating. Her daughter's asthma has worsened significantly since moving to Middletown, a direct result, she believes, of the pollution emanating from the Cleveland-Cliffs plant. The ever-present soot that coats homes, vehicles, and children's toys is a constant reminder of the environmental injustice inflicted upon this community.

The political context is crucial. Vice President JD Vance, who hails from Middletown, has consistently downplayed the importance of clean energy and has received significant financial support from fossil fuel companies. His grandfather worked at the plant for years, highlighting the deep-rooted connection between the community and the steel industry. However, this connection should not come at the cost of public health.

Cleveland-Cliffs' CEO Lourenco Goncalves's enthusiastic embrace of “beautiful coal, beautiful coke” echoes the pro-fossil fuel rhetoric of former President Donald Trump. This unwavering commitment to outdated and polluting technologies demonstrates a callous disregard for the environmental consequences and the health of the people living in Middletown.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's website reveals that the relining project will allow the No. 3 blast furnace, a relic from the 1950s, to continue churning out millions of tons of steel using hundreds of thousands of tons of coke annually. This perpetuates a cycle of pollution and environmental harm that disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color.