Burns Harbor commission approves Cleveland Cliffs variance, caps on-site storage containers at 300

The Burns Harbor Building Commission on May 26 approved a variance permitting Cleveland Cliffs Burns Harbor to maintain temporary storage containers on its site under a set of reporting and inspection conditions.

Taylor Murphy, assistant senior general manager for Cleveland Cliffs Burns Harbor, told the commission the mill currently inventories “239 storage containers and that is dynamic” as contractors and large maintenance projects bring equipment on and off site. Murphy said about 100 containers are associated with contractors and roughly 140 are used internally by the plant.

The commission debated how to measure and bill for the containers given fluctuations. Commissioners discussed quarterly audits, monthly logs, proration and the administrative burden of on-site inspections. At one point a fee of $250 per container was cited in the discussion as the ordinance’s per-container charge. Commissioners also noted an alternate fee table showing a $200 annual fee plus a $50 reinspection, which was discussed as background to billing options.

To reach a practical baseline for billing, the board agreed to treat 240 containers as the annualized figure for calendar year 2026, with payment due within 30 days. The approved variance includes requirements that Cleveland Cliffs submit monthly container logs to the building commissioner and that the building commissioner perform an annual on-site inspection with at least 48 hours’ notice to arrange access.

The motion to approve the variance was moved by Travis Dunlap and seconded by Bob Celius. On roll call, Bob Celius, Travis Dunlap and Timothy Met voted yes; Jim Meeks abstained. The written approval will reflect the 240-container billing baseline for 2026 and a not-to-exceed cap on-site of 300 containers, with the commission reserving the right to revisit counts after a year of monthly reports and the annual inspection.

Commissioners and the applicant emphasized the site’s scale and the temporary nature of many containers during outages and major repairs. Murphy said that during a planned blast furnace repair the company could temporarily need substantially more containers, and the commission built flexibility into the variance by setting a cap and a process for review.

The commission closed the public hearing and directed staff to draft the written approval reflecting the terms discussed. The meeting then moved to brief other business and adjourned.