CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, August 12, 2002
CITGO Refining and Chemical Company in Corpus Christi has been fined $750,000 for environmental violations at its East and West chemical plants.
The violations include failure to maintain records, comply with emissions limitations, maintain a continuous emission monitoring system, submit required reports, conduct performance tests, and provide required notifications to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC).
The TNRCC has agreed to offset a portion of the administrative penalty for the violations on the condition that CITGO perform a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), a program designed by the TNRCC to benefit the communities where environmental violations occur. The $375,000 SEP will benefit the local environment by providing a means of validating and improving air quality data.
CITGO will make a $375,000 contribution to Texas A & M University at Corpus Christi, which will be used in a Remote Vehicle Emissions Sensor Project to pay for the cost of acquiring a remote vehicle emissions sensor, for maintenance costs, and for both employee/employer and public car care clinics.
The contribution will also buy a “smart sign,” a tool used to raise public awareness about the importance of well maintained cars and trucks to cleaner air. Vehicles pass through an invisible beam that measures carbon monoxide emissions. In less than a second, the smart sign flashes a reading of good, fair or poor to help motorists assess their vehicle’s fuel efficiency and overall condition.
The employer/employee and public car care clinics will distribute discount coupons for repairs to the owner of vehicles who receive fair or poor readings of their vehicle emissions, and may enable employers to offer assistance towards appropriate repairs or adjustments. Vehicles repaired because of the car care clinics will help reduce air pollution across the region.
