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Coffeyville Resources Refining and Marketing to Pay $300,000 to Settle Violations of Clean Air Act at Kansas Oil Refinery

Release Date: 05/22/2013
Contact Information: Ben Washburn, 913-551-7364, washburn.ben@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., May 22, 2013) - Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing (CRRM) has agreed to pay a $300,000 civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at its oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kan.

Under a consent decree lodged today in U.S. District Court in Wichita, Kan., CRRM must also perform a series of audits and reviews of its risk management procedures at the southeast Kansas facility.

The proposed settlement is the third environmental settlement with CRRM since 2012. The first settlement, which became final in April 2012, addressed several CAA violations and resulted in significant reductions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from the facility.

The second settlement, which became final in March 2013, resolved issues related to a 2007 oil spill into the Verdigris River. The settlement required CRRM to upgrade its facility to help prevent future spills, and pay for cleanup costs associated with the spill.

The proposed settlement lodged today addresses deficiencies in the Coffeyville refinery’s risk management program, which is intended to prevent and reduce the severity of accidental releases of harmful substances into the air.

“This third settlement with CRRM illustrates the extent of environmental problems the facility needed to fix,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks. “Together these settlements will result in sustained environmental improvement at the facility, making Coffeyville a safer place to live and CRRM a safer place to work.”

In addition to paying the penalty, the proposed settlement requires CRRM to complete a comprehensive audit of the refinery’s compliance with the CAA Risk Management Program throughout the facility and all vessels containing hazardous toxic or flammable substances. CRRM must also complete an audit to evaluate the alkylation unit, which uses large volumes of highly corrosive hydrofluoric acid, to ensure operations are consistent with industry safety standards.

The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court before it becomes final. Once it is published in the Federal Register, a copy of the consent decree will be available on the Justice Department website at www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.