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EPA SETTLES WITH THE BUREAU OF PRISONS FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE CLEAN AIR ACT

Release Date: 10/05/1999
Contact Information: Dawn Harris, EPA Press Relations, 404-562-8421

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 announced today the settlement of an administrative enforcement action against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA). This settlement marks the first time EPA’s Southeastern regional office has assessed a penalty against a federal facility under the CAA.

The Administrative Complaint alleges that the Federal Correctional Complex failed to obtain permits for the installation of boilers and failed to file notifications required by federal law.

The settlement, a Consent Agreement and Consent Order (CACO) requires the Bureau of Prisons to pay a civil penalty of $60,200 to the U.S. Treasury and to perform Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs). The SEPs, totaling in excess of $450,000, include the replacement of 35 existing gasoline powered autos with natural gas powered vehicles and the construction of a natural gas pumping station at the complex. The switch to natural gas will lead to a reduction in air pollution associated with vehicle traffic within the prison complex.