U.S. EPA Region 5 recently issued an Administrative Consent Order and Consent Agreement and Final Order to Degussa Goldschmidt Chemical Corporation in Mapleton, Illinois. Degussa operates a specialty chemical manufacturing facility in Mapleton. U.S. EPA alleged that Degussa failed to control volatile organic compound emissions to the atmosphere from batch reactors and wastewater tanks to the level required by the state regulations and its operating permit. Degussa agrees to eliminate the operation that produces emissions at its reactors and to reduce the amount of organic waste that its wastewater tanks receive, which will reduce emissions of odorous and smog-forming compounds to the environment. As part of this settlement, Degussa will pay a cash penalty of $25,000 and spend at least $600,000 on a Supplemental Environmental Project to close a sludge drying pond on its property. Closing and remediating this pond will eliminate odorous volatile organic compound emissions from it.