Atofina to pay $1.9m penalty, invest $5.3m in US probe
11 January 2002 20:41 [Source: ICIS news]
WASHINGTON (CNI)--Atofina Chemicals has agreed to pay a civil
penalty of $1.9m (Euro2.1m) and implement $5.3m worth of
"significant pollution control measures" at its facilities in
Alabama, Kentucky and Texas, the US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) said Friday.
The settlement agreement, which is subject to a 30-day public
comment period, concludes EPA's multi-state investigation of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Atofina, a worldwide speciality
chemicals company with 26 manufacturing facilities in the US.
At an estimated cost of $5.3m, EPA said Atofina (formerly known
as Elf Atochem North America) has committed to implementing
pollution control measures that will reduce emissions of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) by approximately 2500 tonne/year and
emissions of ozone-depleting substances by 750 tonne/year at
facilities in Kentucky and Alabama.
VOCs are key contributors to ground-level ozone, or smog, which
can aggravate respiratory problems. Emissions of ozone-depleting
substances contribute to the reduction in tropospheric ozone, which
protects the earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet
radiation.
EPA said Atofina also will install a new storm water control
system at its Houston, Texas facility and will undertake a
supplemental project to improve a portion of the Montlimar Canal in
Mobile, Alabama, which emphasis on erosion control and development
of a greenway along the canal banks.
The consent decree resolves environmental claims brought against
the company under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Emergency Planning
and Community Right-to-Know Act.
ICIS Copyright © Reed Business Information 2009
Author: Glenn Hess+1 713 525 2653
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