Contact: Forrest Peterson, 320-441-6072
St. Paul, Minn. ― The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has cited a Minneapolis company, Nico Products, Inc. for several violations of state and federal air pollution rules. The company has made corrections, agreed to an equipment upgrade, and has paid a $10,882 civil penalty.
An MPCA inspection in July 2011 revealed a number of violations of air pollution rules at the metal-finishing business located at 2929 First Ave. S. For nearly a year, the company operated a degreaser, while exceeding pollution control limits on air emissions from solvents, and failed to meet permit and reporting requirements.
Nico has returned to compliance with air pollution control requirements, and has agreed to spend at least $24,880 to install a new degreaser that will use less of the solvent trichloroethylene and reduce emissions of the solvent to the air. Other permit application and reporting requirements have been met.
The agreement, known as a stipulation agreement, is one of the tools the MPCA uses to achieve compliance with environmental laws. When calculating penalties, the agency 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 more information see the MPCA’s State Air Rules webpage.
