The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) fined Crystal Valley Cooperative, a farmer's co-op with locations across southern Minnesota, $21,250 for its failure to conduct necessary emissions testing and to submit required reports and certifications on time.
On Sept. 17, 2024, MPCA staff conducted an inspection of Crystal Valley Cooperative’s facility in Jackson. Investigators discovered that facility staff had not conducted any visible emissions readings on applicable equipment since the MPCA’s previous inspection in July of 2021. MPCA staff also found that the co-op had not submitted six semiannual deviations reports by the permitted deadlines, nor had they submitted annual compliance certifications on time.
In addition to paying the fine, Crystal Valley Cooperative has completed and submitted its semiannual reports as well as its annual compliance certifications. The co-op has also begun performing visible emissions checks on applicable equipment and provided MPCA with a written plan describing how it will ensure that all reports are submitted by their permitted deadlines.
The MPCA is committed to protecting human health and the environment by enforcing rules and regulations and limiting pollution and discharges from facilities. When facilities do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment. Since 2019, the MPCA has issued 8,419 enforcement actions amounting to more than $24 million in penalties. Penalty payments go into the MPCA's general fund, which enables the MPCA to protect communities and the environment from harmful pollution.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers a number of factors, including the seriousness of the violation, the potential for harm to human health or the environment, history of noncompliance, and the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws.