Alon USA, LP Settlement
(Washington, D.C. – January 25, 2018) Alon USA, LP (Alon) has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $372,611 to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) stemming from the production of gasoline that did not did not meet fuel volatility standards.
Overview of Company
Alon is a refiner that operates a 73,000 barrel-per-day capacity refinery located in Big Spring, Howard County, Texas (Big Spring Refinery).
Violations
This settlement resolves claims related to Alon’s distribution into commerce of six batches of gasoline (4,955,496 gallons) produced at its Big Spring Refinery that exceeded the applicable 9.0 psi Reid vapor pressure (RVP) standard during the 2012 and 2013 regulatory control periods (May 1 to September 15).
Environmental Benefits and Pollutant Reductions
This action arises under Title II of the CAA and the regulations promulgated thereunder. These laws aim to reduce emissions from mobile sources of air pollution by, amongst other things, reducing emissions from fuel used in motor vehicles, nonroad vehicles, and engines and ensuring that fuel used in motor vehicles, nonroad vehicles, and engines does not harm the emissions control technology necessary to meet emissions standards.
In this case, non-compliance with the CAA fuel standards resulted in additional emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the non-compliant gasoline. VOCs are a precursor to the formation of ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone causes a wide variety of health and environmental impacts, including temporary breathing difficulty for people with asthma, respiratory illness, and aggravation of existing heart disease.
Civil Penalty
Under the settlement, Alon will pay a civil penalty of $372,611.
Contact Information
Melissa Schefski, Attorney-Adviser
Air Enforcement Division
Office of Civil Enforcement
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
1595 Wynkoop Street (8MSU)
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 312-6842
schefski.melissa@epa.gov