WASHINGTON — In a tribal-friendly crackdown on the iron-mining companies in Minnesota and the Michigan Upper Peninsula, the U.S, Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on mercury emissions. Mines operated by Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel have ignored earlier federal limits on mercury. In 1990 Congress set mercury emission standards, but EPA never enforced them. Tribal objections have gone unheeded. The new EPA order, from the Biden Administration, would require a 57% reduction of mercury emissions. The Minnesota mines affected by the EPA order produce half of the mercury emissions in the state.
Mercury profile
Mercury, also known as quicksilver, is the only metallic element that is liquid. It is highly toxic. Mercury emerges from cinnabar deposits when they are ground in milling. Mercury poisoning results from inhalation of mercury vapor or ingestion on any form. A serious result is Minamata disease. It also is a risk factor for autism.