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E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS & COMPANY

Judicial · FY1998 · — · Final Order With Penalty · 22845

Penalty
Cost recovery
Compliance action

Case

Case Number
04-1998-0509
Type
Judicial
Lead
EPA
Outcome
Final Order With Penalty
Multimedia
N
Self-disclosure
N

Defendants (1)

Summary

DUPONT VIOLATED THE GENERAL DUTY CLAUSE OF THE CAA AT ITS FLUOROPRODUCTS FACILITY IN LOUISVILLE, KY, BY (1) FAILING TO IDENTIFY THE HAZARDS OF A HYDROGEN FLUORIDE RELEASE DURING MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES; (2) FAILING TO DESIGN AND MAINTAIN A PIPING AND VALVE SYSTEM THAT WOUDL PREVENT RELEASES OF HYDROGEN FLUORIDE; AND (3) FAILING TO MINIMIZE HYDROGEN FLUORIDE RELEASES BY INSTALLING AN AUTOMATIC INSULATION VALVE NEAR THE REACTOR. ON MAY 19, 1997, THESE FAILURES RESULTED IN AN 11,500 POUND RELEASE OF HYDROGEN FLUORIDE WHEN A VALVE BROKE DURING MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES. DUPONT IS THE ONLY DEFENDANT AND A BOTTOM-LINE PENALTY IS SOUGHT OF $1.5 MILLION. NO INJUNCTIVE RELIEF IS NEEDED SINCE DUPONT HAS RECTIFIED ITS PROBLEMS. THIS CASE IS A NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT MATTER GIVEN THE PENALTY AMOUNT SOUGHT AND THE NATURE OF THE VIOLATIONS - GENERAL DUTY CLAUSE VIOLATIONS. ANOTHER SIMILAR CASE IS BEING LITIGATED BY DOJ AGAINST DUPONT FOR 112R VIOLATIONS AT IT WURTLAND, KY, FACILITY.

Source

Authoritative
EPA ECHO
Machine
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