A Chicago steel forging plant has agreed to overhaul its pollution monitoring systems to resolve allegations that it repeatedly violated air quality limits and state environmental regulations, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Friday.
The settlement marks a significant development in the Finkl & Sons Pollution Deal suit, a case centered on nitrogen oxide emissions from one of the city’s long-standing industrial operations.
Claims of Excessive NOx Emissions in an Environmental Justice Community
Raoul’s office said A. Finkl & Sons Co. was accused of emitting levels of nitrogen oxides that exceeded what its air permit allowed. The plant sits in Chicago’s Burnside neighborhood, a community formally designated by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency as an environmental justice area — regions where pollution concerns and public health vulnerabilities often collide.
Raoul praised the company for cooperating as the case moved toward resolution, saying he remains committed to “protecting all Illinois communities from the health and environmental impacts of pollution and holding companies accountable.”
