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Ohio Rubber Company and President Plead Guilty to Clean Air Act Violations
Release Date: 01/29/2004
Contact Information:
Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-7819 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov
(01/29/04) William R. Mullins, President of Mullins Rubber Products (Mullins Rubber) Inc., of Riverside, Ohio; and his company each pled guilty on Jan. 16 to violating the Clean Air Act (CAA). Mullins pled guilty to four counts of making false statements when reporting airborne discharges of a solvent containing TCE, which was used by the company to degrease machines. Mullins Rubber Inc. pled guilty to one count of failing to submit a CAA Title V air discharge permit by an October 1996 deadline. From 1998 to 2001 Mullins Rubber Inc., underreported the amount of this TCE solvent used at their facility and also failed to apply for required discharge permits. Falsely reporting the amount of solvents released into the air can cause air pollution levels that may cause distress to individuals with respiratory problems. The plea agreement calls for Mullins to pay a $350,000 fine and provide an extra $50,000 to the Pulmonary Medicine Division of Children’s Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. Mullins Rubber Inc. has agreed to pay a $100,000 fine pursuant to its plea. Final acceptance of both pleas will be determined by the Court at the time of sentencing. The case was investigated by the Cleveland Area Office of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dayton.
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