Santa Fe-Helena Chemical Co. is facing another fine ?Çô this one of almost $280,000 ?Çô for a series of air quality violations at its Mesquite, N.M., fertilizer plant. State environmental officials asserted the violations were caused by lax monitoring methods that are putting residents at risk. The order, issued by the New Mexico Environment Dept. (NMED), alleges violations of the company’s air quality permit, including allowing emissions to escape from the facility, neglecting to conduct testing and monitoring to make sure air quality standards are met, and failing to maintain records of plant operations. Officials said the order is based on a notice of violation issued in November. When contacted at his office in Collierville, Tenn., Helena Environmental Director Ed Brister said he had no comment at this time. Secretary Ron Curry issued a compliance order with a $279,076 penalty to Helena Chemical Co. in Mesquite for 11 violations of the company’s air quality permit. NMED said seven inspections by air quality staff members between March and June 2007 found that, among other violations, Helena failed to control emissions from inside while working with fertilizer products and outside during product loading; failed to control haul road dust; failed to conduct compliance tests of regulated equipment on schedule; neglected to conduct inspections of building enclosures or to keep records of those inspections; and failed to use proper methods of observing emissions during operations. Helena was fined $238,000 in November 2004 for failing to obtain a permit to operate the facility, and another $36,000 in October 2006 for failing to report a chemical fertilizer spill. NMED also investigated all Helena facilities in March 2007 after a fire broke out at the company’s facility in Humboldt, Tenn., to ensure local operations were safe.
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