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CALAVERAS CEMENT TO PAY $222,000 TO SETTLE AIR POLLUTION CASE

Release Date: 10/7/1998
Contact Information: Dave Schmidt, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1578

U.S. EPA NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS:


     (San Francisco) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) today announced that Calaveras Cement Co. has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $222,000 to settle alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act at its facility in Monolith, Calif.  As part of the settlement, the company has also agreed to comply with interim carbon monoxide emission limits until it receives a required permit, which will also limit emissions.

     In April 1997, U.S. EPA filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in which U.S. EPA alleged that Calaveras violated the Clean Air Act.  Specifically, U.S. EPA alleged that in 1989 Calaveras modified its cement plant without first obtaining a permit.  In addition, U.S. EPA alleged that Calaveras' facility violated nitrogen oxide emissions limits and federal regulations governing air pollution from cement plants.

     Under the Clean Air Act, facility modifications that significantly increase emissions of certain air pollutants require a permit to minimize deterioration of air quality in areas that currently meet federal clean air standards.  Calaveras' modification triggered permitting requirements because its emissions of carbon monoxide exceeded acceptable limits.  Calaveras has now applied for a permit and, as part of the settlement, must comply with interim carbon monoxide limits until it receives a final  permit.

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