Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Technical Contact: Jason Moran (651) 296-8109 Media Contact: Nancy Miller (507) 280-3590 Rochester, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced today that Energy Economics Inc. has agreed to pay a $21,000 civil penalty and change some of its operating procedures to correct environmental violations at its facility in Dodge Center, Minn. Energy Economics Inc. (EEI) provides pipe corrosion prevention services and refurbishes natural gas meters. During an August 2004 inspection, MPCA staff documented several alleged violations including failure to properly evaluate, store and handle waste liquids and by-products from the company's meter scrubbing process. In addition, EEI failed to ensure and document that those employees who handled hazardous waste were properly trained to do so, and may not have been familiar with emergency procedures. The company also did not submit copies of shipping manifests to the MPCA in a timely manner and did not accurately complete its annual hazardous waste generator license applications. The violations outlined in the agreement have been corrected through operational changes at the facility. EEI has significantly improved its waste management, labeling, storage and shipping practices and has submitted the appropriate documentation to the MPCA to correct the identified violations. Agreements such as these are one of the MPCA's many tools used to achieve compliance with environmental laws. When calculating penalties, MPCA staff take into account how seriously the violation(s) affected the environment, whether it was a first time or repeat violation and how promptly the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, refer to the agency Web site at/newscenter/enforcement.html.