The Indy 500, the World’s Largest Sporting Event, A Chance to Move Cleveland-Cliffs Towards Sustainable Steel and Jobs
By Mike Oles
Steelmaking is critical to Indiana’s economy. Nearly 40% of the nation’s steel is made here. Mighty Earth activists distributed stickers at the Indy 500 race this past weekend, calling on Cleveland Cliffs Inc. to invest in Indiana-made, sustainable steel and create jobs for steelworkers.
The Indianapolis 500 is the largest attended sporting event with over 350,000 in attendance.
We had two goals:
- IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves to win his record-breaking 5th Indy 500 race.
- We wanted that car’s main sponsor, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., to commit to making sustainable steel in Indiana.
The deep concern in Indiana is that the steel industry, as we know it, is a significant risk. Since 1990, the workforce making primary steel in Indiana has declined by 50%. Moreover, Cleveland-Cliffs has laid off 2,000 steelworkers nationwide this year.
The Indiana-based Steel industry also has a dire environmental impact.
Two days ago, a CBS News story ran with the headline, “Is pollution from steel mills behind cancer rates in Gary, Indiana?” A study by Industrious Labs revealed high cancer rates in Indiana’s steelmaking region.
Three of the seven blast furnaces in the United States that produce primary steel are located in Indiana; Cleveland-Cliffs owns two of them. Just last year, these facilities emitted 25 million pounds of toxins, creating more industrial pollution than the combined toxic releases of the other four similar mills in different states.
Lake County, Indiana, has more toxic releases than 99% of all other counties across the country. Indiana ranks second in the nation for the highest level of industrial pollution released per square mile.
Retired Steelworker Frank Staples helped pass out stickers at the race and parade during Memorial Day weekend. He was a leader in the fight to save the Indianapolis-based Carrier Factory from relocating to Mexico, which ultimately saved 1,000 good union jobs in Indiana. He said, “I know what it’s like to lose a good union steelworker job and then win to save jobs. That’s why I’m hoping we can build the movement to get Cleveland-Cliffs to listen and move quickly towards sustainable steel.”
Instead of job losses and pollution, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. can help build the steel industry of the future. If Indiana and Cleveland Cliffs commit to building sustainable steel mills here, we can ensure that our 28,000 steelworkers have good union jobs while creating new ones. We can also begin to create healthier communities by dramatically reducing toxic emissions.
But doing nothing is not an option for Indiana. Hyundai Steel plans to open a $5.8 billion steel mill in Louisiana in 2029. In Europe, a sustainable steel mill is expected to be up and running by next year, producing 5 million tonnes of sustainable steel annually by the end of the decade.
If Cleveland-Cliffs doesn’t invest in Indiana, the consequences of job losses and the toxic legacy of steelmaking could be hard for Indiana to overcome.
There has been some hope, though. Last month, Cleveland-Cliffs postponed relining one of its blast furnaces at Burns Harbor, Indiana, until 2027. That gives community members more time to organize and convince Cleveland-Cliffs to collaborate with state and federal partners in transforming Indiana into the country’s, if not the world’s, sustainable steel capital.
Castroneves’ drive for five will hopefully continue in 2026, and we will be back at the Indy 500 urging Cleveland Cliffs to transition to sustainable steel production.
