The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday and the Department of Justice announced both agencies have come to an agreement with chemical giant Dow Chemical over the company's environmental violations. Dow Chemical was found to be in violation of three major environmental legislations, including the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
The EPA and the Department of Justice noted Dow Chemical will be paying $2.5 million in fines for 24 counts of violations, although the amount and conditions must be open to public comment for 30 days and approved by the court in the Eastern District of Michigan before being enacted.
Assistant Administrator for the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Cynthia Giles commented on the agreement. Giles said, "Communities near large industrial facilities depend on EPA to enforce our nation's environmental laws and protect public health and the environment. Today's settlement with Dow will reduce the potential for future violations and protect communities from emissions of hazardous air pollutants."
The Detroit Free Press reported all of Dow Chemical's violations happened at the company's Midland, Mich., plant from 2005 to early 2007. The chemical company's specific violations include allowing structures that store hazardous waste to crack and pit, failure to test, monitor, and detect leaks in their structures, and neglect to keep proper records and report their findings under the EPA's legislation.
The EPA also noted other violations include improper discharge and emissions that includes toxic and dangerous compounds responsible for decreasing air quality, including volatile organic compounds. In addition to paying $2.5 million, the EPA is requiring Dow to replace and update some of its structures, which includes installing new "low emission" valves that will help reduce the risk of emitting dangerous airborne chemicals.
Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice, said, "Dow worked cooperatively with the government to resolve this matter and in doing so set an example for responsible compliance with our nation's environmental laws."'
Additionally, Dow Chemical released its own statement on the agreement. Vice President of Michigan Operations Earl Shipp said, "We are committed to best-in-class performance of our Environmental, Health and Safety practices and have learned some very valuable lessons from this process. We know that every detail of compliance is critical '" including the administrative detail. While there has been no harm to human health or the environment with regard to these findings, we have taken corrective action and implemented measures to prevent recurrence."
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
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