A costly plan will keep a steel plant in JD Vance’s hometown running. Locals are aghast: ‘It’s horrible’

Key Points:

• Vivian Adams, a Middletown resident, reports worsening asthma in her young daughter due to pollution from the nearby coal-burning Cleveland-Cliffs steel plant, which emits soot and chemical dust affecting local homes and health.
• Cleveland-Cliffs plans to reline its blast furnace at the Middletown facility, continuing fossil-fuel burning for another 15 to 18 years, following the cancellation of a $500 million grant that would have funded a cleaner hydrogen-powered furnace.
• The Middletown steel plant is among Ohio's top polluters, contributing significantly to nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide emissions, and associated health impacts, including premature deaths and lost school days over the next two decades.
• Despite federal efforts to promote cleaner steel production, Cleveland-Cliffs’ CEO supports continued use of coal and coke, aligning with former Trump administration policies, while local residents face ongoing environmental and health risks.
• The steel industry shows modest growth amid tariff protections, but job losses and financial declines persist, with communities near plants like Middletown and Burns Harbor, Indiana, experiencing severe pollution and public health challenges.