Pacific Steel Casting Co. and Communities for a Better Environment have agreed to enter into a consent decree in Federal Court that will result in specified emissions reductions, create a scrap metal inspection program, and establish a joint consultation committee to recommend and oversee ongoing pollution reduction efforts.
The agreement is the result of a lawsuit filed by CBE last year. The consent decree represents an agreement between the Oakland-based environmental organization and the steel casting company that has operated in West Berkeley for the past 73 years.
"Pacific Steel welcomes the cooperative spirit demonstrated by this agreement. We look forward to working closely with CBE toward our shared goals of reducing emissions for the benefit of our neighbors and workers," said Joe Emmerichs, GM and VP of Operations for PSC.
"This agreement will result in real, on the ground emissions reductions, will keep community members at the center of defining community needs, forge a meaningful relationship between environmental justice and labor, and create the opening for a long term process to tackle a complex set of issues with business. This is a great first step that we feel extremely positive about," explained Adrienne Bloch, Senior Attorney for CBE.
The agreement requires Pacific Steel Casting to implement a plan for selection and inspection of the materials in the scrap metal it buys that is melted and formed into castings. Through notification of scrap suppliers and regular inspections, the goal is to reduce organic contaminants in the scrap supply that may release emissions during the steel making process.
Secondly, the consent decree requires Pacific Steel to create a reserve fund of $350,000 for selected projects that achieve reductions in emissions levels at the facility. The emissions reduction projects would generate at least two tons of reductions in particulate matter, Hazardous Air Pollutants, or VOCs. This is in addition to the reduction of emissions already occurring through the recent addition of a carbon filter adsorption system on Plant 3.
Finally, the agreement establishes the Joint Consultation Committee comprised of CBE, Pacific Steel, and GMP Local 164B which will meet quarterly to recommend expenditures from the reserve fund to reduce emissions. The agreement allows inspections of Pacific Steel by CBE or its consultant of the scrap metal operations or emissions mitigation projects that commence as a result of this agreement.
The consent decree expires when funds placed in the reserve fund are depleted or after three years, whichever comes first. The consent decree does not take effect until approved by the court after the expiration of a 45 day period of review by the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. EPA.
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