WASHINGTON, D.C.- Formosa Plastics Corporation (Formosa) has settled a joint federal-state lawsuit over excess vinyl chloride emissions and other violations of federal and state environmental laws at Formosa's facility in Delaware City, Delaware the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Delaware, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced today.
In settlement papers filed today in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, Formosa has agreed to take several steps to comply with environmental regulations, pay a $450,000 penalty, and take additional measures to reduce vinyl chloride emissions, including an $840,000 project that exceeds federal and state legal requirements.
"This settlement provides another strong example of our efforts to enforce environmental laws, and it clearly benefits the people of Delaware who live near this facility," said Kelly A. Johnson, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.
"All evidence indicates that vinyl chloride is a substance meriting significant concern and, through this agreement, the citizens of Delaware will be exposed to less of it," said Colm F. Connolly, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware. "Of particular importance is the manner in which the state and federal agencies worked together to achieve the common goal-the improvement of the environment in Delaware. The superb cooperation experienced in this case will be the standard in the future and I fully commit the resources of my office to assist both state and federal agencies in improving the environment in Delaware."
"We are pleased that this settlement requires Formosa to go beyond compliance and take immediate steps to reduce vinyl chloride emissions. The reductions will produce real health benefits for the people of Delaware," said Donald S. Welsh, EPA regional administrator for the mid-Atlantic region.
See EPA Vinyl Chloride Penalty by Formosa
