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St. Croix Fossil Fuel Power Plant to Comply with Clean Air Act

Release Date: 04/23/2014
Contact Information: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, [email protected]

(New York, N.Y.) Under a legal agreement announced today by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VIWAPA) will come into compliance with air pollution control requirements in the federal Clean Air Act at its Estate Richmond Generating Facility on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. These air pollution controls will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that can cause serious respiratory health effects. These pollutants are linked to serious health problems, including asthma, lung and heart disease.

EPA and the Dept. of Justice found that the facility violated limits on nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. This agreement is expected to reduce nitrogen oxides emissions by approximately 115 tons per year. The agreement is expected to reduce particulate matter emissions by approximately 3 tons per year.

“This legal agreement will go a long way toward reducing air pollution in St. Croix and beyond,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “EPA is committed to protecting communities on St. Croix that are threatened by air pollution.”

“Residents will breath cleaner air as a result of this agreement to reduce air pollution emissions and bring VIWAPA into compliance with the nation’s Clean Air Act,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department and our partners at EPA are committed to addressing large sources of pollution to ensure the maximum positive impact on public health and the environment.”

Under the EPA’s air permit requirements, large industrial facilities that make modifications that increase air pollution emissions must install best available control technology. VIWAPA operates with a permit that requires it to use the best available control technology to control emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. EPA found that VIWAPA had not properly operated nor maintained its water to fuel injection pollution control system from October 2005 through December 2012.

The facility also failed to meet the particulate matter emission limit during testing of emissions from its stacks and failed to conduct continuous monitoring to ensure compliance with its limits. The EPA found that the facility violated its limits for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. VIWAPA also did not keep proper records.

Under the agreement, VIWAPA will:

• properly operate and maintain the water to fuel injection pollution control system
• develop and maintain an inventory of spare parts for the facility’s water to fuel injection system and emission monitoring equipment
• test and properly operate a “real-time” emission monitoring system to ensure compliance with air pollution limits
• conduct quality assurance testing of air monitoring systems
• conduct stack tests to demonstrate compliance with the Clean Air Act
• employ an independent third party to develop protocols, enable proper operation of the air pollution monitoring systems, train staff and audit its compliance for three years

The consent decree was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of the Virgin Islands. Notice of the lodging of the consent decree will appear in the Federal Register allowing for a 30-day public comment period before the consent decree can be entered by the court as final judgment. The consent decree will available for viewing at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html

To learn more about air issues in EPA Region 2, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/region02/air/

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

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