Glass Manufacturer Agrees to Pay Fine for Violations

As the result of a recent settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an Oakland, Calif. glass manufacturer will pay $200,000 for numerous air quality violations discovered at its facility in the mid-1990s.

The EPA cited Owens Brockway Glass Container, Inc. in East Oakland for allegedly failing to meet federal opacity standards 192 times from July 1994 to November 1997. During the same period, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District took enforcement action and fined the company for opacity violations.

Owens Brockaway has since improved its preventative maintenance program and no longer violates the opacity standard.

"Today's announcement essentially closes the book on a series of long-running environmental violations that potentially endangered the health of East Oakland residents," said Jack Broadbent, director of the EPA's Air Division in San Francisco. "Owens Brockaway implemented corrective measures that have improved the facility 's compliance with air regulations."

The emissions at Owens Brockway, which has manufactured glass food and beverage containers at this location since the 1930's, come from three glass melting furnaces.