MINNEAPOLIS — The Smith Foundry in Minneapolis will be shutting its doors after federal pollution officials found it was violating air standards and impacting the health of residents.
The news comes after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an agreement last month with the foundry to shut down its furnace and casting operation and convert to a metal finishing facility. The agreement also called for Smith to pay an $80,000 penalty, and develop and implement an updated operations and equipment maintenance plan.
However, on Friday, Smith announced it would be closing the doors on the entire facility, starting with furnace melting and core making operations by Friday, July 26. The remaining foundry operations will be shut down on or before Aug. 15, 2024, according to a news release.
The century-old foundry has been under fire in recent years from residents in the East Phillips neighborhood and environmental activists for allegedly exceeding pollution limits spelled out in permits issued by the state of Minnesota. A coalition of environmental safety advocates and neighborhood groups was formed with the goal of shutting down the 100-year-old foundry, saying 100 years of emissions have had the cumulative effect of causing health issues in the surrounding areas.
In the release, Adolfo Quiroga, president of the Smith Foundry, claimed he had no other option because of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's "unreasonable demands." He also called out the MPCA for allowing the purchase to go through.
"The MPCA had a chance to make these air permitting demands from the previous owner, Neil Ahlstrom, for decades which would have shut down the foundry a long time ago, but they didn’t," Quiroga said in the release. "And then, when Zynik purchased Smith Foundry, the MPCA approved the transfer of the existing air permit without a single question and without expressing any concerns. They never informed us they had any concerns about the foundry, its operations, or its existence in the neighborhood, which has operated in Minneapolis for over one hundred years."
Following an unannounced inspection in 2023, the EPA accused Smith Foundry of failing to properly operate its pollution control equipment and maintain required records. The agency also said the boundary was exceeding particulate matter emission limits for its industrial process equipment and violating airborne particulate matter rules.
"While this is not the outcome we wanted, it does not deter us," said a Zynik spokesperson. "Our company strives to leave a lasting, positive impact on each company, community and person, and ensure that our companies uphold all laws and, not only meet, but exceed all standards expected of a manufacturing company, including from an environmental and health and safety perspective."
