EPA Issues Nearly $1.5M in Penalties to Three Facilities in Louisiana Parishes

EPA Issues Nearly $1.5M in Penalties to Three Facilities in Louisiana Parishes

October 31, 2024

"Many communities in Southern Louisiana live with a daily burden of pollution that would be unimaginable in other areas. EPA worked directly with these residents and used a variety of tools to assess potential violations from permitted facilities," said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. "These legal settlements hold the facilities accountable and will prevent future excess emissions from affecting nearby residents."

The violations were found at DuPont Pontchartrain Works petrochemical facility in LaPlace; Vopak, Inc., in Hahnville; and Westlake Chemical (formerly Axiall) in Lake Charles. Inspections at these facilities were part of the Pollution Accountability Team, a special enforcement project developed as a follow-up to Administrator Michael S. Regan's Journey to Justice tour in Louisiana. Inspection reports for these cases are available here.

The DuPont settlement assesses a civil penalty of $480,000 and addresses violations including unauthorized emissions above the allowed limit at a benzene storage tank, and failure to comply with regulatory requirements for an open-ended line. Conditions of the settlement include: installing advanced equipment on the benzene storage tank, enhanced monitoring using EPA Method 21 and Optical Gas Imaging, a third-party audit of all conservation or emergency vents storing benzene or Group 1 liquids, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, and updating permits as needed.

The Vopak settlement assesses a civil penalty of $168,000 and addresses violations at the company's for-hire bulk storage terminal, which stores raw materials, product, and benzene-containing wastewater from an adjacent facility. Violations include unauthorized emissions from external floating roof tanks identified using EPA's geospatial measurement of air pollution ("GMAP") technology. The settlement requires the facility to conduct quarterly inspections of each floating roof tank, including rim seals; a permit and operations review conducted by an independent third-party auditor; and complete site-specific corrective actions.

The Westlake settlement includes a civil penalty of $825,000 and addresses violations of startup, shutdown, and malfunction requirements and unauthorized emissions, among others. The settlement requires the company to submit a performance testing plan and conduct an additional performance test of its two thermal oxidizers, submit to EPA a list of all pressure relief devices used for hazardous air pollutants; conduct audio, visual and olfactory monitoring of these devices for ten months; and ensure its startup/shut down/malfunction plan complies with all regulatory and permit requirements.

For more information on the Journey to Justice, visit https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/journey-justice.

For more information on the Pollution Accountability Team project, visit https://www.epa.gov/la/pollution-accountability-team.