The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department have announced a settlement with BCP Ingredients Inc. over Clean Air Act violations at its Verona, Missouri, facility.

The company agreed to:

  • Pay a $300,000 civil penalty.
  • Install a scrubber system to remove an estimated 16,550 lbs of additional ethylene oxide emissions over its lifespan.
  • Invest $350,000 in community projects: emergency equipment for Verona Fire Department, two mobile health clinic vehicles, and localized medical services via Cox Health Foundation.

EPA found BCP failed to develop EtO release procedures, fix malfunctioning alarms (allowing a release to continue over seven hours), conduct required audits, coordinate with emergency responders, maintain written safety information for ventilation, and update the Risk Management Plan every five years.

BCP entered a compliance order in September 2022 and has met its requirements. The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.

Federal inspectors have found a Syracuse iron foundry, operating for more than 150 years, continued its pattern of violating federal regulations with more than two dozen willful, repeat, serious, and other violations.

OSHA cited Frazer and Jones LLC in October 2024 for exposing employees to fire, explosion, burns, falls, and other hazards. In 2023 it had two serious citations; in 2021 it settled 60 violations for $276,189 from a 2019 inspection.

This inspection resulted in four willful, 13 repeat, seven serious, and three other-than-serious violations, totaling $990,186 in proposed fines. Hazards included uncapped gas vent lines, crane deficiencies, unguarded surfaces, confined-space asphyxiation, lock-out failures, burns, chemical exposures, and silica overexposure.

Two Singaporean companies who owned the ship that brought down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge have agreed to pay just under $102 million to settle the U.S. government’s claim.

Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine will pay $101,980,000 toward costs to restore port access and remove about 50,000 tonnes of steel, concrete, and asphalt after the container ship Dali lost power twice and struck a pier on 26 March 2024.

Six maintenance workers died when the bridge collapsed; two were rescued. The companies had initially sought to limit liability to $43.7 million. The settlement excludes reconstruction costs; Maryland’s claim and Baltimore city’s lawsuit remain pending.

Chemical products manufacturer AB Specialty Silicones LLC will pay $1.3 million in penalties after a 2019 explosion and fire at its Waukegan plant killed four workers.

OSHA found the company failed to ensure electrical equipment compliance and used propane forklifts near flammable liquids. Production of silicon-hydride emulsions has paused until a new process area is designed.

In the settlement, AB Specialty Silicones will:

  • Develop a safety management system, emergency action plan, and conduct evacuation drills.
  • Provide multilingual safety training and require management training on flammables.
  • Purchase appropriate industrial trucks for flammable materials.
  • Audit its health and safety certification at all sites and hire consultants for electrical hazard analysis.
  • Allow OSHA to inspect facilities without a warrant.

The penalty will be paid in 12 quarterly installments through September 2027, with the full amount due if any payment is missed.

The U.S. EPA and Department of Justice announced a settlement with Ovintiv USA Inc. for over $16 million to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its Utah oil and gas facilities.

The settlement requires a $5.5 million civil penalty and extensive measures at 139 facilities to reduce volatile organic compound and methane emissions. Violations involved failing to capture and control air emissions and non-compliance with inspection, monitoring, and recordkeeping requirements at 22 Uinta Basin sites.

Corrective actions include infrared camera inspections, enhanced maintenance, storage tank pressure monitors, and proper facility design. The agreement is part of EPA’s Mitigating Climate Change initiative, prioritizing communities overburdened by pollution. A 30-day comment period applies.

Federal workplace safety inspectors found a Wisconsin animal food producer exposed employees to explosion, fire, and respiratory risks from excessive airborne dust.

OSHA inspected Strauss Feeds LLC in February 2024 after complaints. Poor housekeeping, no dust-hazard evaluations, and lack of engineering controls created serious combustible and respiratory dust hazards. The company also lacked a written respiratory protection programme.

Inspectors cited Strauss Feeds for 19 serious and five other-than-serious violations, with $161,332 in proposed penalties.

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