Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Technical contact: Suzanne Venem, 651-297-7707 Media contact: Mark Sulzbach, 651-296-7768 Saint Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has penalized Smith Foundry Company $13,871 for alleged air quality and air permit violations at its facility in south Minneapolis. The foundry, located at 1855 East 28th St., produces high-strength castings used in industrial machinery and transportation equipment manufacturing. On Sept. 10, 2004, the MPCA and city of Minneapolis responded to a complaint of "black sand" in the neighborhood around Smith Foundry. The emissions were a result of particle trapping equipment called a baghouse that broke down. Smith Foundry failed to notify the state within 24 hours of the release, which is a violation. After finding the source of the emissions, Smith Foundry corrected the problem within 24 hours. In January 2005, MPCA staff conducted an air quality inspection of the facility and discovered numerous violations including overdue performance testing of equipment and use of other equipment not covered by the company's existing permit. The foundry corrected violations later in the year. The agreement between the MPCA and Smith Foundry also requires the company to submit a detailed plan to ensure that similar violations do not occur in the future. When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violation affected the environment, whether it was a first time or repeat violation, and how promptly the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. It also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, visit the agency Web site at hhref="/newscenter/enforcement.html.