Source: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/air-products-llc-settlement
Timestamp: 2017-02-26 22:08:04
Document Index: 64821123

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 270', '§ 6925', '§ 335', '§ 268', '§ 335', '§ 266', '§ 335', '§ 270', '§ 335', '§ 262', '§ 335', '§ 262', '§ 335']

Air Products LLC Settlement | Enforcement | US EPA
Contact Us Air Products LLC Settlement
(Washington, DC - August 26, 2010) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Justice Department today announced that Air Products LLC has agreed to pay nearly $1.5 million in civil penalties to resolve hazardous waste mismanagement violations at its Pasadena, Texas chemical manufacturing facility. The settlement resolves Air Products' Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) violations in transferring spent acid to the neighboring Agrifos fertilizer manufacturing plant.
Mining and Mineral Processing National Initiative
Air Products is a multi-discipline corporation, serving customers in technology, energy, healthcare, and industrial markets worldwide, providing atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, process and cryogenic equipment, and performance materials. With annual revenues of $8.3 billion and operations in more than 40 countries, Air Products' employs approximately 18,900 people. The company ranks 248th in sales and 256th in total assets among FORTUNE magazine's May 2009 list of the 500 largest corporations in the U.S. Corporate headquarters are located in eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, near Allentown.
The facility covered by this settlement is located in Pasadena, Texas.
As a result of an inspection, EPA identified the following violations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA):
Shipment of hazardous waste of the spent sulfuric acid to an unauthorized facility, in violation of 40 C.F.R. § 270.10, Section 3005 of RCRA, 42 U.S.C. § 6925, 30 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 335.2, 335.43 and 335.62.
Failure to perform a land-disposal determination and submit notification for the spent sulfuric acid, in violation of 40 C.F.R. § 268.7(a)(1) and 30 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 335.6 and 335.431.
Failure to provide adequate notification regarding use of a hazardous waste, the spent sulfuric acid, in a manner constituting disposal, in violation of 40 C.F.R. §§ 266.21 and 266.22, and 30 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 335.6, 335.212, and 335.213.
Unpermitted hazardous waste storage tank in violation of 40 C.F.R. § 270.1 and 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 335.43.
Failure to submit biennial reporting regarding shipment of the spent acid to Agrifos to EPA's Regional Administrator and to TCEQ, as required by 40 C.F.R. § 262.41 and 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 335.71.
Failure to adequately label hazardous waste storage tank containing spent carbon in violation of 40 C.F.R. § 262.34 and 30 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 335.66 and 335.67.
Elimination of approximately 500,000 dry tons of hazardous waste acid (characteristically corrosive and contaminated with dinitrotoluene) per year. The spent acid will be recycled in an on-site closed-loop system and regenerated for continued use by the facility.
Air Products' used acid will no longer be sent off-site and will reduce the risk that contaminated hazardous wastewaters from the facility would be released from the neighboring phosphoric acid industry.
Release of acidic wastewaters contaminate groundwater and can cause fish kills in local rivers and lakes.
Air Products will pay a $1.485 million penalty with the United States receiving $1.35 million and the State of Texas receiving $135,000.
The proposed settlement, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. Information on submitting comment is available at the Department of Justice website.
EPA has focused on compliance in the phosphoric acid industry because of the high risk of releases of acidic wastewaters at these facilities. Examples of effects include:
EPA's enforcement of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) ensures the enforceability of rules and permits issued under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act so that people and the environment are protected from exposure to hazardous wastes. For more information please see Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA): Mineral Processing.
(202) 564-4075Pete Raack (raack.pete@epa.gov)