The United States and the state of Louisiana has reached a settlement with Firestone Polymers that will help ensure cleaner air in Louisiana.
The Firestone synthetic rubber manufacturing facility in Sulfur, Louisiana, allegedly violated the Clean Air Act along with other state and federal environmental laws, according to a Feb. 22 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) press release
“This settlement requires Firestone to take concrete steps to reduce emissions of air pollutants from its manufacturing facility in Sulfur, Louisiana,” Larry Starfield, acting assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in the release. “This will result in cleaner air for communities in Southwest Louisiana, particularly for communities that have suffered a historically disproportionate burden from pollution.”
Under the settlement, Firestone is required to pay $3.35 million in civil penalties, install equipment to reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants and upgrade its ambient air monitoring system, the release stated.
The company will also be required to meet certain standards including specific emissions limits, limit air pollutants from facility dryers, conduct inspections of heat exchangers and install flaring instrumentation and monitoring systems, according to the release.
“We are always glad to work with our federal partners, the DOJ and EPA, to resolve violations,” Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Secretary, Dr. Chuck Carr Brown, said in the release. “We plan to use this penalty and the beneficial environmental project funds from this consent decree to further enhance the environment in Louisiana.”
