Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Nancy Miller, 507-280-3590 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 Rochester, Minn. - Badger Foundry Company, a gray iron foundry in Winona, has paid $70,000 for alleged violations of the facility's air emissions permit. In addition, the company has made several changes in its operation to ensure future compliance with environmental regulations. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) staff documented violations of the facility's air emissions permit including the terms and conditions of a compliance schedule developed in 2002. Specifically, the company failed to install and have in operation a fabric filter used to control emissions from the plant. In addition, the facility failed to complete several actions outlined in the compliance schedule. In addition to paying the $70,000 civil penalty, Badger Foundry has taken all steps needed to bring the facility back into compliance with its existing air emissions permit. The company has completed the installation and started using the required fabric filter. In addition, the emissions from designated areas throughout the plant have been collected and routed to the appropriate pollution control equipment. The company has submitted appropriate semiannual and bimonthly progress reports and will complete stack performance testing by March 2008. The settlement, known as a stipulation agreement, is one of the tools used to achieve compliance with environmental laws. 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. The agency also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, visit the agency Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/newscenter/enforcement.html.