A Coffeyville, Kansas-based refinery has reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. This comes as part of a larger crackdown on industrial companies contributing to air pollution.

Let's start with some background information about this case. Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing (CRRM) LLC, and its subsidiaries, also had a previous consent decree with regards to its petroleum refinery, according to a news release.

Moving on to the statement from the Environmental Protection Agency, "The settlement with Coffeyville delivers on the promise of EPA’s new climate enforcement strategy by reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 10,000 cars," said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s office of enforcement and compliance assurance. "In addition, the actions we are taking alongside our state partners in Kansas will reduce harmful air pollution that makes breathing more difficult and causes smog, acid rain, and tree and plant damage."

To elaborate further on the violations committed by CRRM, The infringements consisted in illegal emissions of a multitude of toxins including more than 2,300 excess tons of sulfur dioxide, according to the media release. The chemical is known to cause breathing trouble and was released from the refinery’s flares from 2015 to 2017.

Turning now to remarks from an official at the Department of Justice, "This settlement demonstrates that the United States will take decisive action to address Clean Air Act violations, to enforce the terms of consent decrees and to promote environmental justice," said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). "The emissions reductions achieved under this settlement will result in healthier air for a community disproportionately affected by air pollution, including for residents of the nearby Cherokee Nation."

Lastly, let's delve into the actions to be taken as part of this settlement. The State of Kansas, along with the federal government, believed that CRMM breached various conditions of a 2012 consent decree and the Clean Air Act, according to the press release. CRRM has agreed to provide $1 million on a plan that will help the environment of Kansas, along with initiating $9 million in measures to prevent future violations. The company agreed to pay a $13 million fine in the settlement.