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Valero (Premcor) Refinery Clean Air Act Settlement

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have reached an agreement with Valero Energy Corp. that provides for a $4.25 million penalty and $232 million in new and upgraded pollution controls at refineries in Tennessee, Ohio and Texas that were formerly owned by Premcor Inc. The state of Ohio and Memphis-Shelby County, Tenn. have also joined in today's consent decree and will receive a portion of the civil penalty.

The agreement requires new pollution controls to be installed at refineries in Port Arthur, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; and Lima, Ohio, that, when fully implemented, will reduce annual emissions of nitrogen oxide by more than 1,870 tons per year and sulfur dioxide by more than 1,810 tons per year. The new controls will also result in additional reductions of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter from each of the refineries. These pollutants can cause serious respiratory problems and exacerbate cases of childhood asthma.

Valero committed to spend more than $200 million on upgrades, which will reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants by several thousand tons per year," said Granta Nakayama, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "Today's settlement is good news for people living near these refineries; local residents will be able to breathe easier knowing that the air in their communities will be cleaner."

More Information

For additional information, contact:

Shaun Burke
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2242A)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20460-0001
(202) 564-1039
burke.shaun@epa.gov

Civil Enforcement | Cleanup Enforcement | Criminal Enforcement

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