Ammonia Week in Review | June 14, 2013

Two leaks and two fines made the cut into the latest edition of the Ammonia Week in Review…

Ammonia Leak Shuts Down Cactus Meat Processing Plan – A local plant shut down Wednesday morning after an ammonia leak in the facility. First and second shifts were canceled at JBS Swift in Cactus after what was said to have been a minor ammonia leak. Cameron Bruett with Swift’s corporate communications tells us a safety valve was triggered at this facility early Wednesday morning […keep reading]

Egelston Township’s Sun Chemical to Pay $65,000 Penalty for Initially Unreported 1,400-Pound Ammonia Leak – Sun Chemical Corp. has agreed to pay more than $65,000 in civil penalties for a six-hour, 1,400-pound leak of anhydrous ammonia vapor last Labor Day at Sun’s plant on Evanston Avenue that wasn’t reported until the next day. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday, June 11, that the pigment manufacturer has agreed to pay $65,631 to the U.S. Treasury and the Superfund Trust Fund “to resolve the alleged violations of failing to provide immediate notification” […keep reading]

New Haven, Conn. Cold Storage Warehouse Fined for Release of Toxic Ammonia from Facility – EPA recently settled a case with Connecticut Freezers, Inc. and Maritime International, Inc. stemming from the release of about 5,000 pounds of ammonia from a cold storage warehouse in New Haven, Conn. The settlement requires a $50,000 penalty and performance of $160,000 worth of environmental projects, including trainings for other companies and emergency responders […keep reading]

Ammonia Leak Closes Highway 58 in Buttonwillow – Highway 58 in Buttonwillow was closed for a time and part of the small community was evacuated Monday afternoon by an ammonia leak. The anhydrous ammonia was leaking from a business at Highway 58 and Willow Streets in the small community and it also forced evacuations until the leak could be secured. Kern County firefighters responded to the scene an called for help from the KCFD’s hazardous materials specialists […keep reading]