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EPA and Williams Companies settle CAA lawsuit
Release Date: 2/4/2002
Contact Information:
303-312-6893,
Release Date: 2/4/2002
Contact Information:
303-312-6206,
Release Date: 2/4/2002
Contact Information:
303-312-6890 ,
Release Date: 2/4/2002
Contact Information:
303-312-6603,
Release Date: 2/4/2002
Contact Information:
800-227-8917
- Denver -- The Justice Department and EPA’s Denver Regional Office today announced a settlement, totaling nearly $1 million dollars, resolving an environmental lawsuit against Williams Gas Processing Company, Inc. and its affiliate Williams Field Services Company.
The settlement, lodged in U.S. District Court in Denver, requires Williams to pay more than $950,000 civil penalty for the unauthorized plant modifications. The penalty includes roughly $475,000 in economic benefits, or profits, the companies made by failing to abide by CAA requirements.
EPA is responsible for protecting air quality within tribal lands and ensuring industrial sources operating in those territories have proper permits. Williams was required to secure air quality permits before installing the dehydration units during 1991 and 1992. The permits are required under the Clean Air Act as part of a program called the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD). This program ensures that areas with clean air will remain clear and unimpaired. These clean air areas include certain national parks and wilderness areas, which are given the highest degree of protection from the impacts of air pollution. States and Tribes are allowed to select areas to receive this designation as well. An element of PSD prescribes that only limited – and properly approved – air pollution increases are allowed in a designated clean air zone.
“PSD rules exist to ensure economic growth is balanced with the need to preserve air quality in areas where it currently is clean,” said EPA’s Regional Enforcement Director Carol Rushin.
During March 2001, EPA and the Justice Department settled a similar lawsuit with the Williams Companies for $850,000. The previous lawsuit involved PSD violations at the same Ignacio gas plant. It was during those negotiations that Williams volunteered information about the dehydrators. “While EPA considers these violations to be serious, we do acknowledge that Williams brought the violations to our attention and cooperated with us throughout the process,” Rushin remarked. As part of the settlement, Williams must pay the civil penalty and apply to EPA for proper PSD permits for its two dehydrators and all emissions associated with the Ignacio plant modifications.
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