A United States company that’s a heavy-hitter in producing key minerals for defense efforts has filed for bankruptcy .

This filing stems from years of regulatory disputes between the company and environmental institutions , as well as a “catastrophic” facility failure.

The Wall Street Journal reports how U.S. Magnesium — a Salt Lake City, Utah-based company owned by billionaire Ira Rennet’s Renco Group — filed for protection from creditors in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware last week. The company entered Chapter 11 with about $200 million in liabilities.

The largest producer of primary magnesium in North America, Fox 13 states that environmental concerns have plagued the company’s site in Rowley for years: Layoffs in 2002 sparked concerns from the Utah Divisi

See Full Page