The United Refining Co. in Warren has apparently agreed to pay a
$70,000 penalty for violating its air quality permit and air plan
approval requirements at the petroleum refinery in Warren.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection, the penalty is under an agreement reached between the
state agency and the company. Larry Loughlin, vice president of
human resources for United Refining, was out of the office Friday
and could not be reached for comment.
“The violations included frequent permit exceedances for carbon
monoxide and nitrogen oxide,” explained Freda Tarbell, DEP
community relations coordinator, mentioning a few of the
infringements. There were frequent emission limit violations and
dense smoke violations from a refinery stack and flare from 2004 to
2006, the DEP release reported.
Tarbell explained there was a 10-page report outlining the
problems in detail – all of which have been corrected.
“This penalty is aimed at creating an incentive for United to
avoid future violations,” DEP Regional Director Kelly Burch said.
“Given the location of the facility – surrounded by homes and
businesses and along the Allegheny River – United has a
responsibility to ensure the refinery is meeting its permit
requirements to protect the health of Warren residents and the
important natural resource that flows beside it.”
Tarbell explained one of the problems was with the opacity of
the smoke emitted from boiler stacks.
“When something is opaque, you can’t see through it,” she
explained. Opacity is a measure of how much light passes through
something. “There is a certain range of opacity that is
acceptable.”
The smoke coming from the boiler stacks was exceeding
appropriate opacity levels, Tarbell said.
“There were fugitive emissions from a flare from their FCC
unit,” she explained, referring to the fluid catalytic cracking
unit. Tarbell said the flare is from “various sources at the
refinery,” and it was observed in excess of the allowable limit on
March 9, 2006.
“That means the combustion of organic compounds is incomplete,”
she said. “That was an indication something wasn’t functioning
properly.”
She explained the problem was traced back to the wet gas
compressor.
“It was an intermittent thing over a few days. They corrected
the malfunction with the wet gas compressor, brought it back on
line and corrected the violation,” Tarbell explained.
The fine will be paid into the state’s Clean Air Fund, which
helps finance programs to benefit public health. Tarbell explained
one such program is currently underway in Chester County where
members of the public are being screened for asthma.
She added, “It funds a wide variety of efforts for public
health.”
In addition to operating the refinery, United operates retail
gasoline and convenience stores branded as Kwik Fill, Red Apple
Food Marts and Country Fair.
