Chemtrade Logistics (Chemtrade) owns and operates two sulfuric acid plants in Oregon, Ohio in an environmental justice area (priority rank 1) and violated NOx emission limits established in the Ohio State Implementation Plan,the facility's Permit-to-Install, and the facility's Title V Permit. Chemtrade self-disclosed these NOx emission limit violations based on the results of an emissions test conducted as part of an internal compliance analysis. Chemtrade also discovered errors made in the calculations to support NOx emission limits in the original Permit-To-Install issued in 1995.
On April 10, 2012, Chemtrade submitted a permit modification request to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency revising upwards the NOx emission limits. The requested revised NOx emission limitations were determined based on correcting a molecular weight mathematical error, updating its hours of operation, and installing new equipment to allow the injection of spent acid into the furnace to reduce NOx emissions.
Additionally, Chemtrade is required to pay a civil penalty of $164,285.00.