Owens-Brockway glass plant in Muskogee to get emissions upgrade
BY Staff Reports
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
12/04/12 at 6:51 AM
An Ohio company that owns a glass container manufacturing plant in Muskogee has agreed to install pollution control equipment and pay a $1.45 million air quality fine, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice announced Monday.
Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc. will install equipment to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter by nearly 2,500 tons annually, according to the EPA. The facilities that will add the controls include plants in Muskogee; Atlanta; Waco, Texas; and Clarion and Crenshaw, Pa.
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is also a signatory to the case's consent decree.
"This agreement will significantly reduce the amount of air pollution, known to cause a variety of environmental and health problems, from the nation's largest manufacturer of glass containers," Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, said in a statement.
"The settlement, the latest in a series of agreements with the glass manufacturing sector, addresses major sources of pollution at facilities located in four states and will mean cleaner air for the people living in those communities."
The equipment installments will cost about $37.5 million, according to the report. Owens-Brockway also will pay a $1.45 million penalty to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations at the five manufacturing plants.
The settlement will be filed in Ohio federal court and includes a 30-day comment period before finalization.
Owens-Illinois bought Brockway Glass Co. in 1988 and is the largest glass container producer in North America, according to the company's website. The parent firm generated $7.4 billion in net sales last year.
Original Print Headline: Muskogee glass plant to get emissions equipment after settlement
