DuPont
will pay a penalty of $1.25 million and spend at least another $2.2 million for
required improvements to safety and emergency response in a settlement with the
federal EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice.
The
federal agencies issued a joint release Wednesday to announce the settlement.
The case involved eight alleged releases of harmful levels of material between
May 2006 and January 2010 at DuPont’s Belle plant in Kanawha County Kanawha River
One
DuPont employee was killed when exposed to phosgene gas after a hose on a
holding tank ruptured on January 23, 2010. DuPont was issued an administrative
order to take corrective action related to the incident. The company estimated
it had spent more than $6.8 million already to comply with the order.
The
settlement included requirements for the company to improve safety and
emergency response procedures and processes at it’s Belle operations.
