Arlington MN (7/16/2018) – Scott Equipment Co. in Arlington, Minn., has taken steps to reduce air pollutants from its facility, better manage its hazardous waste and make other changes to protect the environment under an agreement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). It has also paid a $30,000 penalty to the agency as part of the agreement to bring the company into compliance with environmental laws.

The company manufactures processing equipment and provides other services for agricultural and food companies. It operated a paint booth without the required permit for many years. Air quality permits set limits on hazardous air pollutants to protect human and environmental health. Scott Equipment violated limits on these pollutants several times over three years. The company now has a state air quality permit and has submitted a plan to the MPCA on how it will meet the limits on pollutants, complete required reports on time, and otherwise comply with permit conditions.

The company has also taken steps to properly label hazardous and other wastes, and update its recordkeeping.

In addition, Scott Equipment has applied for an industrial stormwater permit that requires runoff from facilities be property treated before being discharged to the environment.

When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violations affected the environment, whether they were first-time or repeat violations, and how promptly the violations were reported to authorities. The agency also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.

For more information about the MPCA’s enforcement activities, visit the Enforcement Primer webpage. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions, see the MPCA’s Quarterly Summary of Enforcement Actions webpage.

Contact: Cathy Rofshus, 507-206-2608