SkyWater Technology violated federal laws and Minnesota rules, according to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) investigation. The company was fined $97,130 for operating without an air permit. SkyWater Technology operates a semiconductor plant in Bloomington, Minnesota.
The MPCA found the following violations by the company:
- Failure to apply for a new air permit after exceeding greenhouse gas emission limit in 2011.
- Taking credit for greenhouse gas emissions control equipment that was not allowed in permit.
- Failure to comply with federal semiconductor regulations after becoming subject to them.
- Failure to conduct performance tests required by federal regulations
- Failure to create start up, shutdown and malfunction plan required by federal regulations
- Failure to submit initial and semiannual reports required by federal regulations
SkyWater Technology has taken corrective action and has submitted a complete permit application. SkyWater continues to submit updated information to the application that the MPCA requires to process the permit.
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 company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.