The US EPA on Feb. 6 announced that it recently finalized a settlement with Mosaic Fertilizer and Tampa Port Services (TPS) over alleged violations of the chemical accident prevention provisions of the Clean Air Act at Mosaic’s facility in St. James, La.
Under the settlement, the companies will pay more than $217,000 in civil penalties and have agreed to complete two supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) to benefit the St. James community: installing two area ammonia gas monitors for two years, and donating two 20-kilowatt generators to the St. James Parish Emergency Response Department.
“Preventing chemical accidents is one of the most important goals of the Clean Air Act, which can only be fulfilled with the full participation and commitment of owners and operators of industrial facilities,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “Companies must prioritize safety for their workers and surrounding communities and be held accountable when they violate these requirements.”
An on-site inspection found violations associated with Mosaic’s processing of MAP and DAP and TPS’ adjacent anhydrous ammonia process. Violations included failure to document required safety precautions and operating procedures, failure to promptly address recommendations of the process hazard analysis team and compliance audit, failure to train employees according to requirements, failure to implement written procedures for maintaining safety equipment, and failure to test and inspect certain process equipment.