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BCP Ingredients Settles Clean Air Violations with $300K Penalty

Legal

Business Honor
04 December, 2024

BCP Ingredients resolves Clean Air Act violations with penalty, emissions reductions, and community health investment

On December 2, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement with BCP Ingredients Inc. to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act at its Verona, Missouri, facility. The settlement addresses the company’s release of ethylene oxide (EtO), a toxic and flammable substance, and its failure to comply with regulations designed to protect workers, the surrounding community, and the environment from chemical releases.

BCP Ingredients, which manufactures choline chloride, an animal feed additive, uses EtO in its production process and also repackages the substance for other users. The company’s violations include failing to implement necessary safety measures to prevent and respond to EtO releases. A June 2022 EPA inspection revealed that BCP allowed an EtO release in April 2022 to continue for over seven hours due to malfunctioning alarms, and the company also failed to develop required operating procedures and hazard analyses. The facility is located in an area with environmental justice concerns, which further heightened the importance of addressing these violations.

Under the agreement, BCP has committed to a civil penalty of $300,000 and installing a cutting-edge scrubber system estimated to eliminate as much as 16,550 pounds of EtO air emissions in its operating life. In addition, it will pay $350,000 for community benefits - emergency equipment for the Verona Fire Department, two ambulances for mobile health clinics, and local health care with the Cox Health Foundation to the community surrounding the plant.

Ethylene oxide is a hazardous air pollutant and has been associated with several health effects, among them increased cancer risk following chronic exposure. The consent decree was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, where it awaits a 30-day public comment period and court approval.