| Ohio industrial waste facility agrees to reduce emissions
Perma-Fix of Dayton Inc., an industrial waste processing facility based
in Dayton, Ohio, has agreed to implement an air pollution control program
that will reduce hazardous air emissions, the Justice Department and Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) announced.
The settlement, filed in United States District Court in
Dayton, resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and includes a civil
penalty of $360,000. The company also agreed to spend $562,000 in order to
complete three environmental projects.
The original complaint against Perma-Fix was filed in December,
2004, by citizen Barbara Fisher, alleging that that the facility violated
federal and state emissions regulations. The United States intervened in
the case in May 2006, alleging federal Clean Air Act violations.
The agreement also requires that emission reductions to
protect public health will come from:
- The use of a thermal oxidizer to destroy emissions from storage
tanks, biological treatment tanks and truck loading operations;
- Two environmental projects that will improve the operation of
the thermal oxidizer;
- Reduction of emissions from exhaust vents at the laboratory;
- Better monitoring and recording of the operation of biological
treatment tanks and the thermal oxidizer;
- Engineering evaluations to ensure proper design and use of equipment;
and
- An environmental management plan and a community response plan.
The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment
period and approval by the federal court. |
