On 21 January 2010 two major settlements had been made for the reduction of emissions from 28 glass and cement plants, found to be violating the Clean Air Act by emitting excessive amounts of sulphur …
On 21 January 2010 two major settlements had been made for the reduction of emissions from 28 glass and cement plants, found to be violating the Clean Air Act by emitting excessive amounts of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter each year, according to Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency“s office of enforcement and compliance assurance. According to the E.P.A. and the Justice Department, the two companies – Saint-Gobain Containers and Lafarge Company – will spend more than USD 100 million to install pollution control equipment. They will also pay a combined USD 7.2 million in fines. The settlements involved 15 plants owned by Saint-Gobain Containers, and 13 plants owned by Lafarge. The pollutants we targeted here make a real difference to people“s health, Ms. Giles said. They contribute to respiratory illnesses and heart disease. Assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice“s environment and natural resources division, Ignacia Moreno, said the settlements were a warning to other violating companies to take notice. Business as usual is not going to pay any longer, she said. We“re talking about system-wide change.