El Dorado refinery to settle EPA case with $4 million fine, equipment upgrades

Owners of a crude oil refinery at El Dorado agreed to a $4 million penalty for violating clean-air standards and to make equipment upgrades limiting release of pollution from a plant ranking among the largest in the Midwest, federal and state officials said Thursday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced a settlement agreement in the case with HollyFrontier El Dorado Refining, which is part of a larger Dallas-based company.

The company allegedly exceeded emission limits and failed to comply with chemical accident prevention mandates at the El Dorado refinery.

“Clean air is one of the most important resources we have in the United States,” said Jim Gulliford, administrator of the EPA region that includes Kansas. “This agreement results in positive steps toward both compliance with the Clean Air Act and cleaner air for those living in the El Dorado community and downwind from the facility.”

Read more: https://www.cjonline.com/news/20200528/el-dorado-refinery-to-settle-epa-case-with-4-million-fine-equipment-upgrades
(Topeka Capital-Journal)