Eastman Chemical Resins to spend US$1.7M-US$2.7M to upgrade pollution abatement, monitoring systems at its West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, specialty chemicals plant, settles on fine for failing to monitor, control or record VOC emissions

Bdebbie Garcia

LOS ANGELES , September 30, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – Eastman Chemical Resins Inc. has agreed to pay a hefty fine for air emissions violations and is proceeding to remedy the problems with a capital investment of US$1.7 million to $2.7 million, reported the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sept. 28.

Improvements will be made to the company’s West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, specialty chemical plant, which was fined $623,000 for failing on numerous occasions to monitor, control or keep records related to its emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC).

The plant has already begun the improvements to its pollution abatement and monitoring systems.

Eastman Chemical Resins was sued Sept. 28 by the U.S. Attorney General and Allegheny County Health Dept. for violations to the Clean Air Act and state law occurring over a decade, the Post-Gazette reported.

The company resolved the matter by agreeing to pay the civil penalty, said Wanda Valentine, an Eastman Chemical Resins spokesperson. The violations did not harm human health or the environment, she noted.

The plant, which is classified as a major source of VOCs, has four chemical processing lines and 200 storage tanks at a site along the Monongahela River, according to the complaint. It produces chemicals used in tapes, glues and book binding, said Valentine, reported the Post-Gazette.

The primary source of this article is the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 28, 2011.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.