The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana approved the consent decree that resolved Firestone Polymers’ alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. The consent decree also covered federal and state environmental laws the company violated at its synthetic rubber manufacturing facility in Sulfur, Louisiana.
On September 30, 2021, the Department of Justice and Louisiana Department of Environment Quality filed a complaint with allegations that the facility emitted excess amounts of pollutants and failed to comply with requirements related to equipment.
The terms of the settlement require Firestone to install equipment controls that will reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants and fund ambient air monitoring system upgrades in southwest Louisiana. The company will also pay $3.35 million in civil penalties.
Other actions the consent decree requires of Firestone include:
Meeting emissions limits.
Operating and maintenance requirements.
Limiting hazardous air pollutants from facility dryers.
Conducting inspections of heat exchangers.
Installing controls and monitors on covered flares.
Installing flaring instrumentation and monitoring systems.
Firestone implemented other compliance measures such as installing and operating a regenerative thermal oxidizer system and reducing n-hexane solvent concentrations.
