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Sierra Club Lawsuits

Settlement with AK Steel's Middletown Works Victory for Ohio Residents

Case Updates:

April 3, 2006

The sprawling Middletown Works facility has been a major source of pollution in Ohio for years, and has caused environmental harm to the air, water, and land. In 2000, the federal government filed a lawsuit against AK Steel for environmental violations, and Sierra Club intervened in the case to help protect local citizens. In early April 2006, Sierra Club celebrated a settlement in the lawsuit that will finally bring resolution to the lingering environmental and health threats posed by the facility. Under the settlement agreement, AK Steel must clean up PCB-contaminated sediments from Dicks Creek, the Monroe Ditch tributary, and adjacent floodplain areas. The company also must pay civil penalties and perform a comprehensive investigation of other hazardous contamination at the site including cleanup alternatives. Sierra Club and coalition partner Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) will also be allowed to have our own expert on site to monitor the cleanup and maintains the right to review important financial assurance and sampling data. As local Sierra Club activist Marilyn Wall put it, "This landmark agreement will help protect the health of Middletown families and workers."

Read more details on the settlement in the press releases below.

Details and Documents:

Settlement Means Cleanup At Middletown Works
April 3, 2006, Sierra Club Press Release

Settlement with AK Steel Will Require Cleanup and Investigation of Contamination of Middletown Plant
April 3, 2006, Press Release, Department of Justice

Consent Decree
April 3, 2006

Aerial Map of Middletown Works Facility
Case Exhibit, Department of Justice