EPA settles with Wilbur-Ellis Company over alleged Clean Air Act violations

Wilbur-Ellis Company and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently reached a settlement over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act in three fertilizer facilities in Kansas.

EPA inspections allegedly found that processes at the facilities, in White Cloud, Troy and Silver Lake, exceeded the anhydrous ammonia threshold quantity, which presents a health risk, potentially causing rapid dehydration or severe burns if inhaled. Because of this, the facilities should have had a Risk Management Plan filed with the EPA and a risk management program.

“Companies have a responsibility to their employees, and the surrounding communities, to ensure they are using the best safety practices, and adhering to all regulations, when working with potentially dangerous chemicals,” EPA Region 7 Acting Administrator Mark Hague said. “The Chemical Accident Prevention regulations exist to help ensure our communities are healthy, and that companies are doing all they can to work safely.”

The facilities also were cited for violations of the Clean Air Act’s Chemical Accident Prevention regulations.

As part of the settlement, Wilbur-Ellis will pay a $67,404 civil penalty, and spend another $113,121 on emergency response equipment for the Sedgwick Fire Department and Doniphan County.