The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and Martin Operating Partnership L.P. (“MOP”) entered into an August 12th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations of an Air Permit. See LIS No. 25-061.
The CAO provides that MOP owns and operates a produces naphthenic crude oil processing refinery located in Smackover, Arkansas.
The facility operates pursuant to an Air Permit.
DEQ personnel are stated to have conducted a routine compliance inspection on April 11, 2024, of the facility. The reporting period for the inspection is stated to have covered May 2022 through February 2024.
The Semi-Annual Monitoring (“SAM”) Report submitted on April I, 2024, and the records reviewed during the inspection, is stated to indicate that the facility exceeded the throughput limit at SN-27i for December 2023 with 166,008,021 gallons, January 2024 with 168,164,980 gallons, and February 2024 with 170,079,956 gallons, violating certain Specific Conditions.
The Annual Compliance Certification (“ACC”) Reports submitted on April 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024, and the records reviewed during the inspection, is stated to have determined that the facility failed to conduct twenty-one Method 22 observations at SN-40 from May 14, 2022, to January I, 2024, violating certain Specific Conditions.
In response to DEQ correspondence MOP stated they would be submitting a minor permit modification application to address the violations of Specific Condition 72 and would conduct refresher training for the seven (7) employees tasked with the duty of conducting the daily opacity observations on SN-40. Further, a permit modification application was submitted on June 9, 2024.
MOP neither admits nor denies the factual and legal allegations contained in the CAO.
The CAO requires that within 15 days of the effective date of the CAO, if MOP has not already done so, that it shall take part in a Method 22 opacity training course as referenced in Paragraph 12 of the Findings of Fact. Further, within 30 days of the effective date of the CAO, MOP shall submit certifications of the completed opacity training.
A civil penalty of $5,800.00 is assessed.
A copy of the CAO can be downloaded here.
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