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August 17, 2022
By Todd Neeley
Andersons Fined $1.7M on CAA
Violations
Andersons to Pay Record Fines for Clean
Air Act Violations at 4 Ethanol Plants
Andersons Marathon settled with the
EPA on more than 130 Clean Air Act violations at four ethanol plants
in Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN)
-- Ethanol producer Andersons Marathon will pay a record $1.7 million
in penalties for numerous Clean Air Act violations at its four ethanol
plants in Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, as part of a settlement
with the EPA announced on Wednesday.
According to the
settlement and consent decree filed with EPA on Tuesday, the company
exceeded "applicable threshold quantities" of several toxic chemicals
including ammonia, acetaldehyde, acrolein, formic acid, methanol,
benzene, ethylbenzene, n-Hexane, toluene and formaldehyde, at the four
plants from 2015 to 2019.
The EPA said in a
news release the company failed to file accurate and timely annual
forms for "several chemicals from its fermentation vapor stream," in
violation of the Toxics Release Inventory reporting violations of the
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The $1.7 million
in penalties is the largest amount paid under the act, according to
EPA.
In all, the
settlement resolves 99 violations in EPA Region 5 and 32 violations
committed in EPA Region 7.
As part of the
settlement, Andersons Marathon has since filed the necessary forms for
2015 to 2020 and corrected "errors" on chemicals including benzene,
ethylbenzene and toluene. In addition, the company agreed to report
its future manufacture, process, or other use of fermentation
chemicals including acetaldehyde, methanol, acrolein, formaldehyde and
formic acid.
For future reporting
Andersons Marathon has adjusted measurements and releases of n-hexane
and ammonia at its facilities, the EPA said in a news release.
Andersons Marathon's
plants are in Logansport, Indiana; Albion, Michigan; Greenville, Ohio;
and Denison, Iowa.
"EPA is committed to
protecting people from pollution and taking action to ensure
facilities are reporting releases in an accurate and timely fashion as
required by law," said Larry Starfield, acting assistant administrator
for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
"This settlement
ensures the communities surrounding the four facilities have the best
available information that they deserve and empowers them to act at a
local level when necessary."
Maumee, Ohio-based
The Andersons and Marathon Petroleum Corp. announced the merger of the
four plants in October 2019. The Andersons owns and operates more than
130 commodity merchandising, renewables and plant nutrient facilities
in 21 states and Puerto Rico, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom
and Switzerland.
Read the consent
decree
here:
Green Play Ammonia™, Yielder® NFuel Energy.
Spokane, Washington. 99212
www.exactrix.com
509 995 1879 cell, Pacific.
exactrix@exactrix.com
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