The Corporate World - Wednesday, October 3, 2012 11:05 - 0 Comments

Sinclair Oil To Pay $3.8 Million In Penalties

Two units of Sinclair Oil Corporation will pay $3.8 million in penalties to settle violations of air pollution limits established in a 2008 consent decree at refineries in Casper and Sinclair, Wyo. The two units, Sinclair Casper Refining Co. and Sinclair Wyoming Refining Co., will pay penalties totaling $3,844,000. They will also spend approximately $10.5 million on additional pollution control equipment and other projects to resolve the charges against them. Under the settlement the Sinclair companies will be required to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter by approximately 24, 385 and 59 tons per year, respectively.

The violations are from Sinclair’s failure to meet the terms of the 2008 consent decree, including exceeding NOx emissions limits at the Casper and Sinclair refineries and failing to comply with requirements to install, operate and maintain a flare gas recovery system at the Sinclair refinery, resulting in excess emissions of SO2. The problems will be addressed by installing and operating a selective catalytic reduction system to control NOx emissions and by upgrading the flare gas recovery system to meet SO2 emissions limits. Sinclair will also complete a project to provide road paving at its Casper refinery that will reduce particulate matter emissions by an additional 59 tons per year and reduce fuel oil burning at the Casper refinery from the existing 188 tons per year limit to no more than 95 tons per year.

Source: The Corporate Crime Reporter