Hess Corporation to Install $45 Million in Pollution Controls and Pay $850,000 Penalty to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at New Jersey Refinery

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Dept. of Justice announced that Hess Corp. has agreed to pay an $850,000 civil penalty and spend more than $45 million in new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its Port Reading, NJ, refinery. Once fully implemented, the controls required by the settlement are estimated to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NO_x) by 181 tons per year and result in additional reductions of volatile organic compounds (VOs). High concentrations of NO_x and VOCs, key pollutants emitted from refineries, can have adverse impacts on human health, including contributing to childhood asthma, and are significant contributors to smog.

“This settlement is the 31^st such agreement with petroleum refineries across the nation. Hess joins a growing list of corporations who have entered into comprehensive and innovative agreements with the United States that will result in cleaner, healthier air for communities across the nation,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Dept. of Justice. “For example, this agreement will improve air quality for New Jersey residents by requiring Hess to install advanced pollution control and monitoring technology and adopt more stringent emissions limits.”

The settlement requires new and upgraded pollution controls, more stringent emission limits, and aggressive monitoring, leak detection and repair practices to reduce emissions from refinery equipment and processing units.

The government’s complaint, filed on April 19, 2012, alleged that the company made modifications to its refinery that increased emissions without first obtaining pre-construction permits and installing required pollution control equipment. The Clean Air Act requires major sources of air pollution to obtain such permits before making changes that would result in a significant emissions increase of any pollutant.

The state of New Jersey actively participated in the settlement with Hess and will receive half of the civil penalty.