Gas processor, federal government settle case
The federal government and several states settled a case with a major gas processing company, MPLX LP, over alleged environmental violations the company faced in 20 processing plants, including one in Evans City, according to a news release from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“This agreement will eliminate harmful air pollutants and create cleaner air for communities in six states,” said Susan Bodine, an EPA assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance, in a prepared statement.
The settlement is between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, the state of Oklahoma, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the state of West Virginia. The company, a subsidiary of Findlay, Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Corp., did not admit wrongdoing but agreed to create measures to reduce gas emissions and pay a $925,000 penalty.
MPLX LP faced allegations of violating federal and state clean air laws for equipment leaks, pressure relief devices, storage tanks, truck and railcar loading, combustion devices, and process heaters, according to the release.
The upgrades are expected to cost the company about $2.78 million. The settlement also dictates that the company reduce volatile organic compound emissions at two of its natural gas compressor stations in Pennsylvania and Ohio, which the government expects will cost the company another $700,000. According to the EPA, volatile organic compound emissions, which are vapors, “include a variety of chemicals that may produce adverse health effects such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, and damage to the liver, kidney, and the central nervous system.”
To ensure that all these measures reduce leaks, the company must also install and operate air monitoring stations in four of its natural gas processing plants in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Texas at a cost of $2.5 million.
