This story was updated at 2:25 p.m. EDT.
Environmental groups and integrated iron and steel manufacturers are facing off in court over updated EPA hazardous air pollution rules, adding to a growing tangle of litigation over how tightly to regulate the industry’s emissions after years of government inaction.
One lawsuit by Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs was brought Monday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. While the suit does not spell out the grounds, the company had previously raised lengthy objections to a draft of the regulations in comments submitted last fall through an industry trade group.
Also filing suit with the D.C. Circuit was Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, the only other owner of the integrated mills that start with iron ore and end with finished steel. In the opposite corner was Earthjustice, where an attorney confirmed that the organization had brought a separate challenge on behalf of other environmental groups. As of Tuesday morning, however, the filing was not yet available through the federal courts’ online records system.
