On January 16, 2007, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois entered a Consent Decree between the United States, eight States, and Bunge North America, Inc., Bunge North America (East), L.L.C., Bunge North America (OPD West), Inc., and Bunge Milling, Inc., (collectively, ÂBungeÂ) that resolves violations of the Clean Air Act, certain State violations and reporting violations. Each of the eight States (Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Mississippi, Iowa and Alabama) in which Bunge operates a plant is a Plaintiff-Intervenor and a signatory to the Consent Decree.
On October 26, 2006, the United States simultaneously filed a Complaint and lodged a Consent Decree with Bunge. Regions 4, 5, 6 and 7 signed the Consent Decree. We received no comments during the public comment period. Upon entry of the Consent Decree, both State and Federal violations related to BungeÂs eleven oilseed processing plants and one corn germ extraction plant are resolved by the joint Consent Decree.
The resulting settlement addresses volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including the hazardous air pollutant n-hexane, carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), at all twelve of BungeÂs plants in eight states. Eleven of these plants produce products from soybeans, including vegetable oil and meal that is used as animal feed. The other plant produces the same type of products, but from corn germ. Under the settlement, Bunge