WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Colorado, on behalf of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), announced June 26 the filing of a civil complaint against PDC Energy Inc. (PDC) for allegations of environmental law violations.
“Violations of environmental law will be pursued and punished,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said. “We will work with our federal, state and local partners to punish those that violate the laws to the detriment of human health and the environment.”
According to the complaint, PDC committed unlawful emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from storage tanks in Colorado in violation of the Clean Air Act, the Colorado Air Pollution Prevention and Control Act, Colorado’s federally approved State Implementation Plan, and Colorado Air Quality Control Commission Regulation No. 7 (Regulation 7). The complaint seeks injunctive relief and civil penalties.
“Reducing emissions from condensate storage tanks is a critical component of our efforts to bring the Denver Metro/North Front Range Area back into compliance with ground level ozone standards,” said Martha Rudolph, director of environmental programs for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
“Violating emissions standards endangers public health and can give violators an unfair advantage in the marketplace,” said acting assistant attorney general Jeffrey H. Wood of the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.