Coakley
BOSTON - A construction materials manufacturer will have a chance at a refund if it complies with the terms of its settlement with Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.
Aggregate Industries-Northeast Region agreed to pay a civil penalty of $587,000 to settle allegations that it violated the state's Clean Air Act, though $75,000 will be waived if the company makes several changes to its facilities in the state.
"Our Clean Air Act protects the quality of the air that every citizen of the Commonwealth breathes," Coakley said. "The resolution of this case improves air quality and ensures that businesses compete on a level playing field by penalizing Aggregate and depriving it of economic benefits it gained as a result of the alleged environmental non-compliance."
Aggregate must file for approval of modifications it made without permission from the state's Department of Environmental Protection and burn 50 percent more natural gas, which is cleaner than other fuels it uses at its Saugus facility.
In that same facility, Aggregate has to reduce the amount of sulfur in the waste oil it burns. The company also agreed to hire an independent auditor who must be approved by Coakley and the DEP to assess and improve the environmental management system at its 28 facilities in the state.
The settlement resolved several violations of the Clean Air Act as well the state's Clean Waters Act, Hazardous Waste Management Act and Oil and Hazardous Material Release and Prevention Response Act.