The state of Virginia has penalized a James City County glass-making plant more than USD 400,000 for increasing emissions of air pollutants without a permit. Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc. has ag…
The state of Virginia has penalized a James City County glass-making plant more than USD 400,000 for increasing emissions of air pollutants without a permit. Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc. has agreed with Virginia state Department of Environmental Quality to pay a USD 216,456 fine. The company also agreed to spend USD 205,194 on additional pollution-control equipment. “This is definitely a significant penalty,” said DEQ spokesman Bill Hayden. “It“s larger than what we usually issue.” Owens-Brockway made improvements to increase production at its plant in Toano, Hayden said. However, the upgrades also increased emissions of sulfur dioxide and dust-like particles. Sulfur dioxide can contribute to acid rain and smog and airborne particles can cause breathing problems. Hayden, however, said the DEQ did not record any harm to people or the environment. Owens-Brockway made its changes between the mid-1980s and mid- 1990s. The DEQ inspects the plant annually, but agency workers looked more closely in 2001 and decided the company emissions were too high, Hayden said. The DEQ and the plant entered into the penalty agreement on 22 November 2002. The action came to light in agenda materials for a scheduled meeting of the State Air Pollution Control Board on 28 February 2003. Company officials declined to discuss the penalty. In a statement, they said the plant added electric heaters to its glass-melting furnaces. “The electric heaters do not emit air pollutants and no additional air permits were sought for the heaters,” the company said. The company said it entered into an “amicable settlement” to resolve the issue. The DEQ and the plant are working to create a permit that will regulate how the factory will control its emissions. The Toano plant was built in 1980.