Residents of Middletown, Ohio, are voicing alarm over plans by Cleveland-Cliffs to reline the blast furnace at its steel plant, a move that could extend fossil-fuel burning for up to 18 years. The facility, located near homes, has long been a source of pollution, with locals reporting soot on their property and worsening health issues.
Vivian Adams, who moved to Middletown four years ago, says her daughter's asthma has deteriorated since living near the plant. 'She stays sick and coughing and can't breathe,' Adams said, noting black residue on furniture and toys. The plant is the same one where James Vance, grandfather of US Vice-President JD Vance, once worked.
JD Vance, a former Ohio senator who has called clean energy projects a 'scam,' saw his campaigns partly funded by fossil fuel companies. The reline plan follows the Trump-Vance administration's cancellation of a $500m grant to replace the coke-burning furnace with a hydrogen-powered system, which would have made the plant one of the world's lowest-emission steel facilities.
Anthony Chenault of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that Cleveland-Cliffs is a large hazardous waste generator but could not estimate the waste volume from the reline or its disposal. A 2024 report by Industrious Labs ranks Middletown Works among Ohio's top 10 emitters of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide, projecting up to 1,476 premature deaths and 132,300 lost school days over 18 years if pollution continues.
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves has described the upgrade as 'beautiful coal, beautiful coke,' echoing Donald Trump's rhetoric. The company did not respond to queries about whether the cancelled grant funds would be redirected to the reline. Residents like Adams face an uncertain future, with the plant's emissions set to persist for years.
