American Crystal Sugar Company located in Moorhead, Minnesota, failed to collect fecal samples on two occasions, according to an MPCA investigation. This facility also failed to stop discharging when fecal sample results showed they exceeded their fecal sample limit on five separate days in 2024. American Crystal Sugar Company in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, exceeded their fecal sample limit on two separate days in 2024. These violations were discovered during a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) investigation. The company was fined $16,000 for these violations.
MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When companies do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the regulated party gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.