Manufacturer of Nitric Acid Agrees to Reduce NOx Emissions, Pay Fine for Alleged Clean Air Act Violations
LSB Industries Inc. (LSB), merchant manufacturer of concentrated nitric acid in North America, and four of its subsidiaries have agreed to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by meeting emission limits that are among the lowest for the industry in the nation at plants in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the measures required by the settlement will reduce NOx emissions by more than 800 tons per year.
The companies estimate that it will cost between $6.3 and $11.7 million to implement the measures required by the settlement.
“This case is about cleaner air for people living in communities near manufacturing plants,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “LSB Industries has committed to dramatic cuts in air pollution and ensuring they are in compliance with the law. We expect others in the industry to recognize the imperative to adopt reforms and reduce pollution in communities where they operate.”
LSB and its four nitric acid producing subsidiaries will also pay a total penalty of $725,000 to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and applicable Oklahoma state law. In addition to paying the penalty, the companies must continuously monitor emissions and make any necessary operational improvements such as installing new pollution controls or upgrading current controls to meet the new NOx limits.
Today’s settlement applies to the ten nitric acid manufacturing plants owned or operated by the following Oklahoma City-based LSB subsidiaries: El Dorado Chemical Co., in El Dorado, Ark. (four plants); Cherokee Nitrogen Co. in Cherokee, Ala. (two plants); El Dorado Nitrogen Co. in Pryor, Okla. (three plants); and El Dorado Nitrogen Co. in Baytown, Texas (one plant).
