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Middletown council backs Cleveland‑Cliffs permit application ahead of Ohio EPA hearing
Summary
Middletown City Council passed Resolution R2026‑17 supporting Cleveland‑Cliffs’ permit‑to‑install application for an energy recovery and efficient ironmaking project at Middletown Works, citing jobs and investment; one councilmember abstained and another voiced emissions concerns. The Ohio EPA hearing is set for July 9.
Middletown City Council on June 16 approved Resolution R2026‑17 expressing the city’s support for Cleveland‑Cliffs Steel Corporation’s permit‑to‑install application to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for an energy‑recovery and advanced efficient ironmaking project at the company’s Middletown Works facility.
Supporters framed the resolution as a step toward long‑term investment and job preservation at a historic regional industrial site. Council members and staff said the permit is an important first step to rebuild a blast furnace and add a cogeneration plant that would reuse process heat and reduce the plant’s net emissions. The resolution passed on a roll call vote with Mr. Li, Mr. Mulligan and Mayor Slama voting yes; Mrs. Carter recorded an abstention.
Council discussion included both economic and environmental points. One council member encouraged residents to attend the Ohio EPA public hearing on July 9 so the agency can hear local input. A cautionary note came from Vice Mayor Carter, who said, “The word ‘emission’ bothers me... I’m not convinced that it will be clean,” and recalled Middletown’s history with industrial pollution. Council supporters said Cleveland‑Cliffs has described plans to capture process carbon and use it for onsite energy, reducing atmospheric releases, though those technical claims will be evaluated by the Ohio EPA during its review and hearing process.
City staff described the company’s plans at a high level as rebuilding and modernizing steel‑making infrastructure and installing an energy recovery system to improve energy efficiency. The resolution does not change regulatory review; the Ohio EPA will hold the public hearing and make permit determinations under state law.
The council’s action directs no city funds and is a formal statement of local support; the Ohio EPA hearing remains the next public step in the permitting timeline.
