Document v1D1zwd6YxLaVM8qBvRdXEZYR

FILE NAME Newspaper & Magazine Articles NMA DATE 1973 Aug 31 DOC NMA079 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION NYT - Economics is Key in Pollution Suit JVEN CUTIES LANT 1097-48781 1097-487J8u1 Aug 21 1975. ProquesProtquest rustorical Newspapers the New York Iimes 18 = ECONOMICS KEY POLLUTION SUIT Mine's Dumpings in Lake Pit Environmentalista Against Company b * MINNEAPOLIS Aug. 28 {: A complex pollution trial under hway in Federal District Court~fl here pits the Government five environmental groups and Wis- and consin Minnes Mio nnetsoa ta the Reserve Mining against and a number of Chambers Chambers of Commerce and small are inextricably company's trial about company's miningmining company's to fifth week is considered by many to be a classic confroncation over a pollution issus Its origins data to 1969 At that time the Federal Government tried unsuccessfully to persuade the company located at Silver Bay to dumping 67,000 tons of taconite tallings daily Into Lake Supari- company has and some causes widespread body of water thought to be the water and purest freshlake in the world The grainsparticlesparticles from tailings which have magnetic Iron In are magnetic particles of extracted . addition the Government contended that the company's use of the lake as a dumping hastened its ecological quality awe violated ecolgia water quality awe Reserve Mining Com qualityis jointly owned by the Republic Steel Corporation and the Armco Steel Corporation Suit Filed in 72 finally A Federal suit was Willis public was a vice chairman of the Ohio Republican Finance Committee and C. William Ver ity herd of Armco was a Republican fund raiser In June of this year another Issue arose when the E.P.A. saying released a that high potentialy concentrations asbestos of potentially Injurious asbestos ifbers had been found in the western end of Lake Superior the source of drinking water for the city of Duluth and the smaller communities of Silver + Bay Beaver Bay and Two Har- bors agency conclusive 1 The Federal agency mid that while there was sevidence that the lake water was unfit for consumption prudence dictates that an al- fernatefernate source of drinking wa- found fer be children for very young The contention by the Mione- sota Pollution Control Agency Fand later ness at by a government whi was that asbestos fibers detected in Duluth's water supply could only have come Reserve's plant at Silver Bay company Attorneys for Reserve sald In court that the will present concrete evidence that the asbestos fibers are found in a mineral called cum- streams located on the Cana- dian side of the Jake's basin Government Land Disposal The insisting isis insisting that company waste compamniniyng proc Reserve mines taco ese the nite that is shipped for | tions the company said would result in severe economic re- percussions in northeast Min- nesota and other areas of the atate : One of the questions that has been during the trial by District Judge what the effect might be if he ordered the com shut down if it is dat initely established that Re- initely serve's taconite waste is a health hazard He said it was a matter he wanted pursued at some point during the trial One of the significant de- velopments in the trial to date has been Judge Lord's rullog that allegations that Reserve is tential y tentially pol uting tentially fibertsrial the air as well as by discharging Injurious Asbeston be heard during posemdacdhaerge was by Reserve's attomeys the Environmental . the intervenors in case fund a nonprofit environmental rereatvioansmprievanmpigng snuocth feasible educators scientists disposal East Setauket od of than to meth would cost m^'r j group composed in L. 1 milion a sum thaite the waning Mesabi iren The fund's motion was also now The company company says trial cannot 15 filedates the nearly pre documents brief filedates per cent of Unitederal iron filedates ore the case Reserve said it furnaces establish that Reserve's wouluntry's wouluntry's blast furnaces air pollution court be taken The of discharge of taconite company estimates the separte court no significant adverse e average of has 2,933 receiving shown fects Lake Superior thier receiving this year saideath shown that on and are was the best availabyroil of million It saideath method for minimizing availabyroil budget for purchase of at orneys for the Unitedral Government who said question wanted the of up ^fin that had Studies asbestos workers they they they high lungs stomachof micolon lungs andand stomach potential adverse ecological trials and supplies will tota 43.8 from potentialReserve in pioneered the prode prode the state Its state and local will amount to mil- Jose particles frees the iron beartaxes company particles from taconite beartaxesotnhe says its process that helped to rajuve disruption opera- with the conuright owner Further without