The Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency are cracking down on a company for spewing cancer-causing benzene into the air in New York state.
Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator Judith Enck called the violator, Tonawanda Coke near Buffalo, an “environmental outlaw” in announcing a settlement agreement with the company. The company operates a foundry that produces coke for use in smelting.
Enck was joined by Justice Department and New York officials during a conference call with reporters to announce the settlement.
The $12 million settlement says the company has agreed to pay penalties and take other steps to curb benzene emissions and other violations of air and water regulations enforced by EPA.
Enck said the company has taken remedial actions in the past few years to stop benzene emissions at the behest of the EPA and the state. The settlement establishes benchmarks for completing that work in the next few years, while paying civil penalties to the state, Enck said.
New York officials point out that the company is one of the last foundries in the nation not to deploy emission safeguards on rail cars used to ship products to and from the facility. The settlement gives the company one year to begin placing covers on its railcar fleet.
A penalty of $2.75 million will be paid to the state and be used for environmental remediation programs.
Enck said the bulk of the total $12 million will be used to install pollution control technologies and to update the facility’s pollution monitoring equipment.
“For years, Tonawanda Coke recklessly ignored clean air, clean water and community right laws,” said New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “In doing so, the company ignored both its legal responsibilities and its responsibilities to the health and safety of the residents of the surrounding communities.”
“With this settlement … we are holding Tonawanda Coke accountable for its actions,” Schneiderman said.
