Indianapolis company to pay $310,000 penalty for Clean Air Act violations

INDIANAPOLIS — An oil processing facility on the south side of Indianapolis will pay a $310,000 settlement after it allegedly violated the clean air act.

According to a press release from the U.S. Environmental Protecting Agency, Metalworking Lubricants Co. will pay the United States and the state of Indiana a $155,000 penalty each.

A complaint by the EPA and Indiana Department of Environmental Management alleges the company emitted more than 25 tons of hazardous air pollutants per year.

The pollutants include naphthalene, ethylbenzene, xylene, phenol and toluene, which, according to the release, violated its permit.

The company also failed to operate its scrubber when its oil-processing tanks were in operation, failed to respond when the scrubber malfunctioned, failed to keep required records, failed to apply for a major source operating permit and underestimated the amount of pollutants in incoming oil, which affected its emissions, according to the release.

Metalworks Lubricants will also install a carbon adsorption system to control organic compound and hazardous air pollutant emissions, connect all oil and wastewater processing tanks to the system and scrubber, meet certain testing, monitoring and recordkeeping requirements and keep its emissions less than 25 tons per year, according to the release.

"The Indianapolis facility is located near a community with environmental justice concerns," the release read. "EPA is committed to addressing the impacts to human health from pollution and other stressors, such as poverty and housing conditions. EPA works toward the goal of environmental justice, which is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies."