Washington — The U.S. Department of Justice reports that it has lodged a consent decree under the Clean Air Act against Rentech Nitrogen LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. DOJ alleges that Rentech operated a nitric acid plant since inception without a required Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit and without using the best available control technology (BACT). Additionally, it claimed Rentech’s operating permit was deficient, and that the company exceeded emission limits for nitrogen oxides. In addition to a $108,000 civil penalty, the consent decree would require Rentech to achieve BACT level emissions of NOx, comply with New Source Performance Standards for nitric acid, and incorporate these into its Title V permit. Rentech had not responded to inquiries by press time.
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