EPA Fines California Portland Company (CPC)

California Portland Company (CPC) is the largest producer of sand, gravel and quarry rock in the Pacific Northwest. CPC owns and operates three Portland cement plants in the United States and is headquartered in Glendora, Calif.
The facility covered by the settlement is located in Kern County, Calif. The Facility includes a dry process Portland cement manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of 1.44 million tons of cement clinker, along with a nearby quarry to mine raw products such as limestone and clay for use in cement production. 
Emissions from the Mojave plant are approximately 3,200 tons of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and 1,200 tons of sulfur dioxides (SO₂) per year.
The consent decree requires CPC to install and continuously operate BACT-level emissions controls to reduce emissions of NO_x and SO₂.

• NO Emission Limitations and Controls_x

The settlement requires the installation and continuous operation of a selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) unit to control NO_x emissions.  While the plant is required to conduct testing in order to set a final NO_x limit after the CD is entered, CPC is required to meet a final 30-day rolling average emissions rate of no greater than 2.5 lb of NO_x per ton of clinker produced.

• (SO) Emission Limitations and Controls₂

The settlement will require the installation and continuous operation of a lime injection system (LIS).  While the plant is required to conduct testing in order to set a final (SO₂) limit after the Decree is entered, CPC is required to meet a 30-day rolling average emission rate of no greater than 1.7 lb (SO₂) per ton of clinker produced.

• NO emissions are expected to be reduced by more than 1,200 tons per year_x
• (SO₂) emissions are expected to be reduced by more than 360 tons per year

 NO_x and (SO₂) have adverse effects on human health and the environment as discussed below:

• Nitrogen Oxides-- NO can cause or contribute to a variety of health problems and adverse environmental impacts, such as ground-level ozone, acid rain, global warming, water quality deterioration, and visual impairment.  Affected populations include children, people with lung diseases such as asthma, and exposure to these conditions can cause damage to lung tissue for people who work or exercise outside._x
• Sulfur Dioxide -- High concentrations of (SO₂) can affect breathing and may aggravate existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease.  Sensitive populations include asthmatics, individuals with bronchitis or emphysema, children, and the elderly.  (SO₂) is also a primary contributor to acid deposition, or acid rain.

CPC will pay a total penalty of $1.4 million to the United States for violations resolved in the Decree.