DuPont, Lucite to pay $2m to resolve US pollution violations

20 April 2009 18:11  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--DuPont and Lucite will pay a $2m (€1.54m) civil penalty to resolve US Clean Air Act violations at a sulphuric acid plant in Belle, West Virginia, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Monday.

Additionally, the agreement calls for the companies to shut down the sulphuric-acid manufacturing unit of a larger chemical facility on the site by 1 April 2010.

“The actions taken as part of this settlement will reduce emissions of air pollutants by more than 1,000 tonnes each year,” said Catherine McCabe, acting assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. 

“Sulphur dioxide emissions can be harmful to children, the elderly and people with heart and lung conditions.”

The case alleges that the companies made modifications to the plant in 1996 without first obtaining pre-construction permits and installing the required pollution control equipment, as required under the law.

The settlement is part of an EPA initiative that seeks to improve compliance among industries with the potential to cause “significant amounts of air pollution”, including the cement manufacturing, glass manufacturing and acid production industries, the EPA said.

As part of the settlement, $1m will be paid to the US with the other $1m paid to the state of West Virginia.

($1 = €0.77)

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By: Ben DuBose
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