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Andersons Fined $1.7M for CAA Violations at 4 Ethanol Plants

Andersons Marathon’s failed to file timely, accurate annual EPCRA TRI forms

PIXABAY.com
PIXABAY.com

On August 17, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $1.7 million settlement with The Andersons Marathon Holdings to resolve alleged Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) at four facilities in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio.

The Andersons and Marathon Petroleum Corp. announced the merger of the four plants in October 2019.

EPA’s Region 7 and Region 5 offices coordinated their investigations of Andersons Marathon’s failure to file, failure to file timely, and failure to file accurate annual EPCRA TRI Forms for several chemicals from its fermentation vapor stream.

“EPA is committed to protecting people from pollution and taking action to ensure facilities are reporting releases in an accurate and timely fashion as required by law,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield, for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

“This settlement ensures the communities surrounding the four facilities have the best available information that they deserve and empowers them to act at a local level when necessary.”

The Andersons agrees to pay record amount in fines

The company has agreed to pay a total penalty of $1,731,256 between two Consent Agreements and Final Orders (CAFO), the largest EPCRA TRI penalty ever obtained by the agency.

Andersons Marathon manufactures ethanol at four facilities located in:

  • Logansport, IN
  • Albion, MI
  • Greenville, OH
  • Denison, IA

Region 5’s action resolves 99 violations and assess a $1,522,015 civil penalty and Region 7’s action resolves 32 violations and assess a $209,241 civil penalty.

Future actions for Andersons Marathon

Andersons Marathon has since filed its 2015 - 2020 EPCRA Toxic Chemical Release Forms and corrected its 2015 – 2020 data quality errors for chemicals including benzene, ethylbenzene and toluene and other chemicals.

EPA and Andersons Marathon also agreed as to how Andersons Marathon will report its future manufacture, process or other use of fermentation chemicals (acetaldehyde, methanol, acrolein, formaldehyde and formic acid).

As a result of the action and for future reporting, Andersons Marathon has adjusted measurements and releases of n-hexane and ammonia at its facilities.

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