PSM and RMP Citations/Analysis

Respondent is the owner and/or operator of the Facility, which has registered an RMPlan with the EPA for its Facility and has developed an RMProgram accidental release prevention program for the Facility. At its Facility: a. Respondent operates an ammonia refrigeration facility. b. Respondent has on-site for use, 14,300 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. c. Respondent…...

The respondent is the owner of a chemical manufacturing facility. On September 10, 2020, Complainant issued an information request under Section 114 of the Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and Section 104(e) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), 42 U.S.C. § 9603, regarding the Facility to Respondent. Respondent responded to the information…...

Respondent owns and operates a facility which is used to produce, bottle, and chill apple juice and cider prior to distribution.  Respondent owns and operates a second facility (“West Facility” ), which is also used to produce, bottle, and chill apple juice and cider prior to distribution. The East Facility and West Facility are sometimes…...

Respondent owns and operates a water treatment plant in MN that has an inventory of chlorine gas at the water treatment plant, which is 360,000 pounds. The threshold quantity of chlorine is 2,500 pounds. Respondent’s RMP registration states that the maximum inventory of anhydrous ammonia at the water treatment plant is 87,583 pounds. The threshold…...

Respondent operated a cold storage warehouse and distribution facility located in RI (the “Facility”). The Facility is located immediately adjacent to a Bay, approximately one-third of a mile from several marinas, just under 1 mile from a few homes, and less than 1.5 miles from an elementary school, a residential neighborhood, and a small airport…....

Respondent owns and operates a metal parts heat treatment operation in Michigan (the Facility) that maintains a maximum inventory of 60,000 pounds of the regulated toxic substance, anhydrous ammonia, which exceeds the threshold quantity of 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia as set forth in Table 1 at 40 C.F.R. § 68.130. Respondent uses anhydrous ammonia…...

Respondent is a private family-owned company that owns and/or operates facilities located in California and Arizona. Respondent specializes in repackaging and distributing chemicals and manufacturing chemicals onsite. The Facilities are located within populated residential, commercial, and industrial areas. The CA Facility receives and repackages anhydrous ammonia and manufactures aqueous ammonia in a reactor by mixing…...

Respondent owns and operates an anhydrous ammonia refrigeration system facility in Altoona, Iowa (Respondent’s Facility). On or about September 21, 2022, representatives of the EPA inspected Respondent’s Facility to determine compliance with Section 112(r) of the CAA and 40 C.F.R. Part 68. Information gathered during the EPA inspection revealed that Respondent had over 10,000 pounds…...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Justice Department have reached a settlement with a food processing company to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) at the company’s food processing facility in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The alleged violations pertain to chemical release prevention…...

Respondent has a refining process meeting the definition of “process”, as defined by 40 C.F.R. § 68.3. Methane, ethane, propane, pentane, propylene, hydrogen, butane, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia are each a “regulated substance” pursuant to 40 C.F.R. § 68.3. The threshold quantity for methane, ethane, propane, pentane, propylene, hydrogen, butane, hydrogen · sulfide, and ammonia…...

Respondent owns and operates a petroleum product refinery. In May 2017 there was a refinery-wide power outage that resulted in flaring and a large release of sulfur dioxide and flammable materials from the Facility. In response to this incident, members of the public were evacuated, required to shelter in place, or visited the emergency room…...

A federal investigation into two workers’ fatal burns at an Oregon, Ohio, refinery’s crude unit found its operator violated OSHA’s process safety procedures for highly hazardous materials and failed to train the workers adequately.   As the workers attempted to correct rising liquid levels in the fuel gas mix drum, a flammable vapor cloud formed, ignited,…...