Menlo, Iowa-based bioethanol producer, POET Biorefining – Menlo LLC and its parent company POET LLC, has been fined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for violations of the Clean Air Act. The world's largest producer of biofuel has been identified as a "major air emission source", with an imposed penalty amounting to $89,860.
POET Biorefining – Menlo LLC along with POET LLC, known as the largest producer of biofuel worldwide, is required to pay a fine amounting to $89,860 due to violations against the U.S government’s Clean Air Act. As revealed in an EPA press release, the facility at Menlo campus is deemed a significant contributor to air pollution which failed to comply with federal permit regulations aimed at limiting toxic air emissions.
In 2022, an investigation into the records of the POET Biorefining facility exposed that it failed to properly manage its scrubber system. This system aims to limit emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants. Following these revelations by the EPA, measures have been put in place within the company to address these issues and ensure correct functioning of their scrubber system.
Jeff Lautt, President and COO of POET celebrated his company’s 35-year history saying "One of our top priorities has always been to be a great asset to each community we consider home. We prioritize our people and strive towards making our communities ideal places for family life. We take pride in observing our team members embodying our philosophy beyond our premises."
Accordingly stated in EPA news releases, through fermenting corn sugars, POET Biorefining produces biofuels which emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants. VOCs are mixtures characterized by high vapor pressure that evaporates rapidly into the atmosphere. Direct or prolonged exposure can cause a variety of health risks including irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, nausea, potential organ and central nervous system damage or even cancer. Hazardous air pollutants are identified as those that are presumed or confirmed to cause serious health problems such as cancer, birth defects, reproductive issues or harmful environmental effects.
