EPA officials found repeated violations of five different environmental laws meant to limit air and water pollution, and protect the public from the dangers of hazardous chemical leaks and spills.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal regulators have finalized a deal in which Bayer CropScience will pay $112,500 in fines to resolve wide-ranging environmental and safety violations at the company's Institute plant.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials announced the settlement one day after another federal agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, fined Bayer $143,000 for the August explosion that killed two workers.
Violations covered in the EPA settlement were not related to the explosion. They were uncovered during EPA inspections in 2001, but the proposed settlement was announced in mid-September, a few weeks after the deadly blast.
EPA officials found repeated violations of five different environmental laws meant to limit air and water pollution, and protect the public from the dangers of hazardous chemical leaks and spills.
Under the settlement, Bayer will also spend about $900,000 to add new equipment to end water pollution problems, and buy computer software, radios and chemical monitors for local fire departments.
The settlement covers a series of inspections that took place while Bayer was negotiating to take over the Institute facility from Aventis CropScience.
Among the violations:
Between January 1999 and March 2001, the plant disclosed three-dozen water pollution violations in its required monthly discharge reports to regulators. These included repeated instances where the plant discharged far more than its allowed limits of toluene, cyanide and solids into the Kanawha River.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal regulators have finalized a deal in which Bayer CropScience will pay $112,500 in fines to resolve wide-ranging environmental and safety violations at the company's Institute plant.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials announced the settlement one day after another federal agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, fined Bayer $143,000 for the August explosion that killed two workers.
Violations covered in the EPA settlement were not related to the explosion. They were uncovered during EPA inspections in 2001, but the proposed settlement was announced in mid-September, a few weeks after the deadly blast.
EPA officials found repeated violations of five different environmental laws meant to limit air and water pollution, and protect the public from the dangers of hazardous chemical leaks and spills.
Under the settlement, Bayer will also spend about $900,000 to add new equipment to end water pollution problems, and buy computer software, radios and chemical monitors for local fire departments.
The settlement covers a series of inspections that took place while Bayer was negotiating to take over the Institute facility from Aventis CropScience.
Among the violations:
Between January 1999 and March 2001, the plant disclosed three-dozen water pollution violations in its required monthly discharge reports to regulators. These included repeated instances where the plant discharged far more than its allowed limits of toluene, cyanide and solids into the Kanawha River.
EPA inspectors discovered that the plant was not monitoring the flow of materials out of three vents meant to discharge air emissions during startup, shutdown and malfunctions in the Carbaryl insecticide unit.
Plant officials underreported routine toxic emissions of a total of more than 1,000 pounds of four chemicals in their Toxics Release Inventory filings for 1999.
On Feb. 5, 2001, plant officials waited nearly five hours to report a leak of the pesticide carbosulfan.
Plant officials allowed open containers of hazardous wastes on site, did not properly label hazardous wastes, failed to determine if certain rags and paper towels used in a maintenance shop were contaminated with hazardous wastes, and improperly disposed of other hazardous materials.
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.
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