POET operates an ethanol plant in Albert Lea, Minnesota. EPA issued a Notice of Violation on March 9, 2016, alleging that POET violated permit conditions established in a federally enforceable state operating permit. Specifically, from January 2011 through June 2016, the facility intermittently: operated fermentation units during scrubber downtime; failed to operate their scrubbers as required by the permits, and failed to consistently record the scrubber operating parameters as required by the permits.
This Administrative Consent Order (ACO) requires POET to construct a secondary scrubber which will control emissions from the fermentation units during scrubber downtime. EPA is concurrently issuing a Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO) which requires POET to pay civil penalty of $120,000.