The Wyoming refinery arm of Salt Lake City-based Sinclair Oil has agreed to pay a $1.6 million penalty and to install additional pollution controls to resolve allegations that it violated emissions limits.
“This settlement holds Sinclair accountable for exceeding the emissions limits agreed to in a previous settlement for Clean Air Act violations,” said Gregory Sopkin, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It also “requires the company to implement additional pollution control measures to secure cleaner, healthier air for the people of Wyoming," he said.
The consent decree with the Sinclair Wyoming Refinery Company was announced Thursday by the EPA. the U.S. Department of Justice and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
Regulators had alleged violations at the company’s Sinclair, Wyo., refinery that included exceeding sulfur dioxide emissions and failing to operate, maintain and certify continuous emissions monitors as required.
The deal “places Sinclair on a path to return its refinery to compliance with Wyoming’s environmental laws and requirements,” said Nancy Vehr, air quality administrator for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
The settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.
