A St. Paul metal foundry fighting legal battles over excessive pollution with state regulators and East Side residents will close, bringing an abrupt end to a conflict that played out at large neighborhood protests and inside small courtrooms.
Northern Iron and Machine will close its factory off Phalen Boulevard by the end of 2026, the company announced Thursday. The plant, which has melted and cast metal into parts for 120 years, employs 77 people, according to recent court filings.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) moved to revoke Northern Iron’s operations permit in June, three years after the agency first cited the company for failing to properly notify regulators about changes to its pollution control equipment and fined it $41,500…