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Connecticut Fabric Manufacturer to Pay $95,200 for Clean Air Act Violations

Release Date: 10/12/04
Contact Information:

Contact: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

For Immediate Release: Oct. 12, 2004 Release # 04-10-13

BOSTON – A fabric manufacturer in Putnam, Conn., has agreed to pay a $95,200 penalty to settle claims by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that it violated federal and state air regulations.

According to a consent agreement filed recently, Dimension Polyant Sailcloth Co., which makes specialty sail cloth, operated emissions control equipment at temperatures below the required levels and failed to apply for either a Title V permit or a minor source permit, as required by the federal Clean Air Act. Operation of the control equipment below required temperatures led to the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, according to EPA.

The violations were discovered by EPA and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection during a joint inspection in June 2003. As a result, EPA ordered the company to perform emissions testing on its emissions control equipment, a catalytic oxidizer.

Due to an explosion at the facility in October 2003, DPS failed to conduct the emissions test by EPA’s deadline. There were no injuries caused by the explosion. However some equipment was damaged. EPA agreed to the company’s request that it be allowed to delay testing so it could buy a new oxidizer that would be more efficient.

An order issued by EPA in May of this year set a timetable for installing and testing the new oxidizer. The new equipment is now in place, and is expected to reduce VOC emissions by about six tons a year.

“This is the kind of work that needs to be done to reduce VOCs, which contribute to smog and other air pollution in New England,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for EPA’s New England office. “When companies invest in new technology and replace old inefficient systems, they improve their bottom line, as well as the environment.”

Related Information:
VOCs
Air Enforcement
Clean Air Act