EDITOR’S NOTE: Cases listed below are from the following counties: Benton, Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Crow Wing, Goodhue, Houston, Kandiyohi, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Lyon, Martin, McLeod, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Olmsted, Polk, Renville, Rock, Roseau, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Todd, Waseca, Washington, Winona, and Yellow Medicine.
St. Paul, Minn.-- In its ongoing efforts to promote environmental compliance, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency concluded 38 enforcement cases in 30 counties throughout Minnesota during the first quarter of 2012. More than $1.1 million in enforcement penalties were issued from these cases, but more than $1 million of that came from two cases.
Imposing monetary penalties is only part of the MPCA’s enforcement process. Agency staff continue to provide assistance, support, and information on the steps and tools necessary to achieve compliance for any company or local government that requests it.
The following 38 cases were completed during the first quarter of 2012:
• Bushmills Ethanol, Inc., Atwater, for water quality violations—$800,000.
• Northshore Mining, Silver Bay, for air quality violations—$240,175. This penalty includes $79,825 toward completion of a supplemental environmental project.
• Reed Burgstahler, Stewart, for asbestos violations—$14,500.
• Schoenfelder Farms LLP, Rochester, for feedlot violations—$9,000.
• Tom Petron Potato Farm, Long Prairie, for water quality violations—$8,460.
• Joe’s Auto Body, Erskine, for solid waste violations—$7,750.
• Northern Plains Dairy LLP, St. Peter, for feedlot violations—$7,500.
• Brown Printing Co., Waseca, for air quality violations—$6,100.
• Amcon Block & Precast, St. Cloud, for water quality violations—$5,900.
• Hokeness Grain & Livestock, Inc., Adrian, for feedlot violations—$5,850.
• Mathiowetz Construction Co., Dover, for stormwater violations—$5,000.
• Olmsted County, Dover, for stormwater violations—$5,000.
• Riverdale Environmental Services, Granite Falls, for solid waste violations—$4,512.
• Tim Schieffert, Sleepy Eye, for solid waste violations—$4,512.
• 3M Abrasive Systems Division, Cottage Grove, for air quality violations—$4,000.
• Dahl Trucking, Inc., Granada, for solid waste violations—$3,850.
• Southhaven Manufactured Home Community LLC, Mankato, for water quality violations—$3,500.
• Anderson Brothers Construction Co., Brainerd, for air quality violations—$3,000.
• Mid Continent Cabinetry, Cottonwood, for air quality violations—$2,950.
• Gibbon wastewater treatment plant, Gibbon, for water quality violations—$2,636.
• Michael Bettin, dba NJM Leasing, Fairmont, for air quality and hazardous waste violations—$2,621.
• Crow Wing County Municipal Landfill, Brainerd, for solid waste violations—$2,300.
• Bob’s Biffys LLC, Fairmont, for individual septic treatment system violations—$2,021.
• Agri-Energy LLC, Luverne, for air quality violations—$2,000.
• Blue Mound Dairy Farm, Inc., Luverne, for feedlot violations—$1,500.
• Guy Jeremiason Farm, Minneota, for feedlot violations—$1,500.
• Xcel Energy, Red Wing, for air quality violations—$1,250.
• PRB, Inc., dba Carl’s Corner, Essig, for solid waste violations—$1,200.
• Dan Oehmingen, Spring Grove, for individual septic treatment system violations—$1,000.
• Chip Worsech, dba Len Worsech & Co., Montevideo, for individual septic treatment system violations—$825.
• Greg Heim Seeds & Sales, Inc., St. Charles, for air quality and hazardous waste violations—$695.
• Imperial Sand LLC, Waltham, for solid waste violations—$600.
• Farmers Elevator Co. of Traverse, St. Peter, for solid waste violations—$575.
• Whiskey River Emporium, Wright Properties LLC, St. Peter, for solid waste violations—$575.
The penalties for the following cases are all forgivable:
• R-TEA Manufacturing, First State Tire Disposal, Inc., East Bethel, for solid waste violations—$3,500.
• Joe Schreier Construction & Cabinets, Currie, for solid waste violations—$1,275.
• Recycle Express, Inc., Olivia, for solid waste violations—$1,200.
• Timothy Fish, Roosevelt, for solid waste violations—$1,000.
A complete summary of environmental enforcement actions and news releases can be found on the MPCA’s News Media Center Web page at www.pca.state.mn.us/newscenter/index.html. For questions on specific enforcement cases, please contact Stephen Mikkelson, Information Officer at (218) 316-3887, or toll free at (800) 657-3864.
