The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and an Indiana state government agency have reached a settlement with Metalworking Lubricants Co. for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at a facility in Indianapolis, according to an EPA press release. The settlement will see the company pay a total of $310,000 in fines.
The EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management alleged that Metalworking Lubricants emitted more than 25 tons of hazardous air pollutants per year from its used-oil processing facility in violation of its permit, EPA said. These pollutants include naphthalene, ethylbenzene, xylene, phenol and toluene.
In addition, the company allegedly did not operate its scrubber at certain times when oil processing tanks were operating, did not respond when the scrubber failed, did not keep required records and underestimated the amount of hazardous air pollutants in the oil it sourced, which the EPA says affected its emissions, the EPA said. And Metalworking Lubricants allegedly did not apply for a major source operating permit.
The company will pay $155,000 to both agencies for a total of $310,000, the EPA said. It will also be required to install a carbon adsorption system to control emissions and connect all oil and wastewater processing tanks to the system and scrubber. This system must recover more than 95% of the total organic compound emissions and emit no more than eight pounds of sulfur dioxide per hour.
Metalworking Lubricants will have to meet testing, monitoring and recordkeeping requirements and stay in line with a revised federally enforceable state operating permit to keep its emissions to less than 25 tons per year.
The company declined to comment.
Metalworking Lubricants makes a number of products, including way slide lubricants, plunger lubricants, lithium multipurpose grease, gear oils and hydraulic fluids. The company has its headquarters and a main blending facility for finished products in Pontiac, Michigan, and operates the used-oil processing, wastewater treatment and finished product blending facility in Indianapolis.