Continental Cement Company will pay a $74,440 civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act at its Hannibal, Mo., plant. As part of the settlement, the company will also procure low-emission school buses for a local school district.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Continental Cement failed to adequately operate leak detection systems designed to notify the company of potential releases of hazardous air pollutants. EPA discovered the alleged violations during a December 2022 inspection.
“Air pollution affects communities with short- and long-term health effects, particularly among children, older adults, and those with preexisting conditions,” said EPA Region 7 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Director David Cozad. “This settlement represents EPA’s commitment to protecting all communities from harmful air emissions.”
EPA said that leak detection systems on the company’s emission controls were not functioning properly. Without a functioning leak detection system, the facility would be unaware of whether pollutant filters are operating effectively to reduce emissions of particulate matter and potentially other air pollutants associated with hazardous waste combustion.
In addition to paying the civil penalty, Continental Cement agreed to spend at least $282,000 to replace two of Hannibal School District #60’s diesel buses with propane school buses, which will reduce air pollution in areas impacted by excess emissions from Continental’s alleged violations.
