BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Nov. 3 that sand and gravel company Kimball Sand will pay $120,000 and reduce hazardous air pollution emissions after a recent settlement.
According to EPA, Kimball Sand operates rock crushing equipment that includes stone crushers, screeners, conveyer belts and engines at a facility near the Massachusetts communities of Blackstone and Northborough.
Use of such equipment must be guided by the federal Clean Air Act (CAA)'s New Source Performance Standards for nonmetallic mineral processing plants and CAA National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines.
Kimball Sand has submitted necessary documents for its equipment, and will replace three existing engines with cleaner engines. The EPA says this will help reduce hazardous air pollutants, including formaldeyde. Additionally, compliance with the Clean Air Act will help the facility reduce emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter—substances that all could affect the public health in the area, the agency said.