U.S. chemical giant DuPont has reached a settlement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at the company's manufacturing facility in Tonawanda, New York.
As part of the agreement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, DuPont will pay a fine of $440,000 for violating chemical pollution regulations. The company has already taken corrective measures by installing new equipment to reduce its hazardous air pollutant emissions, following an EPA inspection, according to a press release by the regulator. DuPont will be required to test emissions from the facility, as well as to make sure its air pollution monitoring systems are properly operated and maintained.
EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck commented that the EPA was committed to protecting public health, and in particular, the health of those living in the area of Western New York. Toxic air pollutants can be very harmful to public health, and companies have to do their best to control pollution, she added.
Some of the violations of the Clean Air Act detected at the DuPont facility, included inadequate pollution control strategies and failure to properly maintain its pollution control system. Moreover, DuPont violated a series of reporting requirements and submitted incorrect information on air pollution in its annual reports, the EPA said in its statement.
