Cleaner air

Rhodia is to pay a $2 million penalty and spend approximately $50 million on air pollution controls at eight production plants in four states across the US, per the terms of a settlement that will resolve allegations that the company violated the US Clean Air Act.

The pollution controls are expected to reduce harmful emissions from its production plants in Texas, Louisiana, California and Indiana by 19,000 tons per year.

The company will meet new, lower emission limits for sulphur dioxide at eight sulphuric acid production units: two in Houston and one in Baytown, TX, two in Baton Rouge, LA, one each in Martinez and Dominguez, CA and one in Hammond, IN.

To meet these limits, the company will install  pollution control equipment at several plants and change operating procedures at several others. The states of Indiana and Louisiana, California’s Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the city of Hammond, IN will receive shares of the civil penalty.