A court proceeding that will determine the fate of St. Paul metal foundry accused of skirting state environmental regulators is underway, but unlikely to bring a fast resolution to residents on the city’s diverse East Side.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is attempting to shut down Northern Iron and Machine, a metal foundry in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood, after a multiyear legal battle over accusations of excessive pollution and permit violations.
The two sides appeared in a Nov. 6 scheduling hearing before Chief Administrative Law Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig. Palmer-Denig of the Court of Administrative Hearings will determine whether the state can revoke the operations permit for Northern Iron, which would shutter a century-old factory.
The case won’t be formally heard until Sept. 14, 2026, meaning neighbors are unlikely to see a result for another year, as judges typically issue an order or recommendation in writing after final arguments are heard, which can take several weeks. The loser of the case can appeal to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
DFL State Rep. Liz Lee represents the area around Northern Iron. She said many in the community are happy to see the case move forward, but remain worried about the health impacts on those who live nearby. The legal battle between the state and foundry has dragged out for the past two years, and Northern Iron has been in operation the whole time.
“The community is very concerned,” Lee told Sahan Journal. “I just hope that we go through the process in a good and thorough but expeditious way.”
Northern Iron’s conflict with state regulators began in 2022, when inspectors with the MPCA noticed the company had added new pieces of pollution-control equipment without notifying the agency or submitting a modified permit application. That resulted in a formal notice of violation, which was settled in a 2023 agreement that included a $41,500 fine for Northern Iron.
The following spring, the MPCA obtained new emission estimates that suggested Northern Iron was producing excessive amounts of lead and smog, and ordered Northern Iron to limit its operating hours to protect public health. The foundry sued the state in May 2024, and won an injunction that largely allowed it to resume normal production while installing new pollution-control equipment and applying for a new permit.
The sides have been fighting in Ramsey County District Court ever since. In June, the MPCA moved to revoke Northern Iron’s operating permit, arguing that the foundry has repeatedly submitted inadequate, late and, at times, false statements and permit applications to regulators.
“Over the past several years, Northern Iron has established a history of filing late and deficient permit amendment applications and air emissions modeling, refusing to provide full disclosure, and failing to comply with its permit, regulatory requirements, and MPCA directives,” the MPCA said in a legal filing.
Revoking a permit is a rare and significant step for the MPCA to take. The state last revoked the permit of W. Lorentz and Sons, a southwest Minnesota construction company, in 2022 for breaking ground on a mining project without submitting proper environmental reviews.
Legal case
The MPCA’s case for shutting down Northern Iron is based on compliance. The state argues that the foundry has blown several deadlines and given insufficient information to regulators. For example, Northern Iron agreed in the 2023 settlement to apply for a new permit by April 2024, but didn’t submit an application until September 2024.
Northern Iron also missed several deadlines to develop a plan for containing all emission leaks from the building and never developed a plan to measure real-time emissions from the foundry that was deemed acceptable by the MPCA. The MPCA, in legal filings, accused Northern Iron of lying on permit applications by claiming that the building was containing all emissions, when it hadn’t demonstrated that.
Brian Bell, an attorney from Dorsey and Whitney representing Northern Iron, said the foundry disputes the state’s claims and intends to rely on expert testimony during the September 2026 hearing.
“I think there will be a number of witnesses in this case,” Bell said.
Parties arguing before the Court of Appeals are encouraged to settle their cases through mediation. Northern Iron and the MCPA already went through unsuccessful court-ordered mediation in their ongoing case in Ramsey County District Court.
“I don’t think we’re at a place where we can reach a settlement right now,” Assistant Attorney General Ryan Petty, who is representing the MPCA, said.
Bell told the judge Northern Iron remains open to meeting with the MPCA to discuss a settlement.
The case could be resolved before the September 2026 hearing through mediation or at a summary disposition hearing scheduled for July 16.
Lee, the state representative, said she’s glad the process is moving forward and hopes the case goes quickly and is carried out in a transparent way.
“We want everything to be on the record,” Lee said.
Mel Lorentz, an environmental lawyer who lives near the foundry and has been helping her neighbors understand the case, said the state’s legal filing in the permit revocation process shows the MPCA doesn’t trust Northern Iron to comply with regulators.
“What’s missing from MPCA’s order is the impact these violations have on the community,” Lorentz told Sahan Journal. “During the permit amendment process, the East Side demanded exactly the information MPCA is talking about in this order for hearing. This foundry should not be operating literally feet from residential homes if it’s not committed to transparency.”
