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KOCH INDUSTRIES TO PAY $20 MILLION FOR CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS IN TEXAS
Release Date: 04/13/2001
Contact Information:
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2001
KOCH INDUSTRIES TO PAY $20 MILLION FOR
CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS IN TEXAS
Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818 / hester.luke@epa.gov
Koch Industries, Inc. and Koch Petroleum Group, L.P. (Koch) pleaded guilty on April 9 to violations of the Clean Air Act by concealing the fact that it had failed to properly control benzene, a known carcinogen. As penalty, Koch agreed to pay $10 million in criminal fines and also agreed to spend $10 million for environmental projects in the Corpus Christi area. Koch must also complete a five year term of probation and adhere to a strict new environmental compliance program. Specifically, Koch admitted that in January 1995, the company certified that it had installed equipment necessary to control benzene, but then disconnected a critical oil-water separator used to control benzene emissions. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center, the FBI and the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission. The case is being prosecuted by the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston.
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