Glass Company Agrees To Reduce Air Pollution

The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Saint Gobain Containers, Inc., Muncie, Ind., to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations at its Madera, Cal., facility. 

The agreement will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter by more than 400 tons per year through the installation of about $6.6 million worth of new equipment to control and monitor air pollution. 

In addition, Saint‑Gobain will pay a civil penalty of $929,000 and $1.2 million for an environmental project that will also reduce emissions. 

EPA estimates that Saint‑Gobain will spend about $2.2 million annually to operate and maintain the new equipment.

The settlement resolves EPA’s allegation that Saint‑Gobain failed to apply the best available control technology to control NOx emissions when it modified a furnace in 1998. 

EPA also alleged that the company failed to timely install a continuous emissions monitoring system to measure NOx emissions in 2002, failed to test emissions in 2000 and 2001, and violated a condition of its Title V air permit by improperly certifying that the facility complied with federal law in 2000 and 2001.

“This is a positive result that will bring cleaner air to the residents of the San Joaquin Valley and provide a strong mechanism to strengthen the area's environment for years to come,” stated Kelly Johnson, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.

As part of the settlement, Saint‑Gobain has agreed to immediately comply with interim air pollution limits, obtain proper air permits, install pollution control equipment on its furnaces by March 2007, and donate approximately $1 million worth of emission credits generated by the emission reductions.

Air pollution control equipment installed at the facility will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 226 tons per year, sulfur dioxide emissions by 167 tons per year, and particulate emissions by 33 tons per year.