ExxonMobil Pays Additional $6.1 Million for 2005 Clean Air Violations
ExxonMobil has agreed to pay an additional $6.1 million in civil penalties for violating the terms of a 2005 court-approved Clean Air Act agreement, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. The settlement already required the company to pay a $7.7 million civil penalty, perform $6.7 million in supplemental environmental projects and install pollution controls at six of its refineries.
“The 2005 settlement has already resulted in major reductions in air emissions from the company’s refineries, but we need full compliance to realize all the benefits of the settlement,” said Granta Y. Nakayama, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA will continue to enforce against companies that fail to comply with the terms of court-approved settlements.”
The agreement penalizes ExxonMobil for failing to comply with the 2005 settlement at four refineries in Beaumont and Baytown, Texas; Torrance, Calif.; and Baton Rouge, La. Most of the penalties are for failure to monitor and control the sulfur content in certain fuel gas streams burned in refinery furnaces, as required by the 2005 settlement and EPA regulations. The other two refineries covered under the 2005 settlement are located in Joliet, Ill., and Billings, Mont.
Between approximately 2005 and 2007, ExxonMobil did not monitor the sulfur content in some fuel gas streams and subsequent testing revealed sulfur content in excess of EPA limits. The burning of sulfur-containing gases emits sulfur dioxide, which can cause serious respiratory problems.
For more information on the Exxon Mobil Petroleum Refinery Settlement amendments and agreements, go to http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/exxonmobil05caa.html
For more information on the Petroleum Refinery Initiative, go to http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/oil/index.html