3/31/10 - This is a civil judicial referral asserting Clean Air Act (CAA) claims against Terra Industries, Inc. and Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. (Terra) for violations at its Yahoo City, Mississippi nitric acid manufacturing facility (Yazoo City Facility). EPA alleges that Terra failed to comply with CAA new source performance standards and constructed, modified, and operated its nitric acid manufacturing facility without obtaining the appropriate CAA pre-construction and operating permits and without installing best available control technology. For these violations, EPA seeks both penalties and injunctive relief.
6/6/11 - EPA AND DOJ ANNOUNCED TERRA INDUSTRIES, INC., ONE OF THE NATION'S LARGEST PRODUCERS OF NITRIC ACID AND NITROGEN FERTILIZERS, HAS AGREED TO PAY $625,000 IN CIVIL PENALTIES TO SETTLE ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE FEDERAL CAA AT 9 OF ITS PLANTS IN IA, MS, AND OK. AS PART OF THE SETTLEMENT, TERRA WILL ALSO SPEND AN ESTIMATED $17 MILLION TO INSTALL AND IMPLEMENT NEW CONTROLS AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE EXPECTED TO REDUCE HARMFUL NITROGEN OXIDE EMISSIONS AT ITS FACILITIES BY AT LEAST 1,200 TONS PER YR.
ILLEGAL AIR POLLUTION FROM THE PRODUCTION OF NITRIC ACID CAN LEAVE THE PUBLIC VULNERABLE TO LONG-TERM HEALTH PROBLEMS SUCH AS RESPIRATORY ILLNESS AND ASTHMA, SAID CYNTHIA GILES, ASST ADMINISTRATOR FOR EPA'S OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE ASSURANCE. BRINGING TERRA INTO COMPLIANCE WITH THE CAA WILL PROTECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS IA, MS, A