Houston’s Continental Carbon plant in Ponca City just experienced a first—-it’s first ever citations from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality for exceeding pollution limits, missed equipment testing and failing to report leaks and spills of its carbon black product.
Regulators at DEQ accused the company of violating a 2015 agreement to reduce pollution, reported Frontier, the news group.
The report explained that DEQ discovered 81 violations of Continental Carbon’s state permits and the agreement during a routine inspection in June.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sued Continental Carbon in 2015, accusing the company of violating the Clean Air Act, a federal law that set limits on pollutants and established air quality standards. In an agreement that was approved by a federal judge, the company agreed to permanently reduce pollution from Continental Carbon’s three carbon black facilities in Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama. As part of a court-approved agreement with regulators, the company was required to upgrade pollution equipment, adopt best management practices and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in civil penalties. The company was also required to monitor emissions, conduct regular equipment testing, and provide records demonstrating compliance.
According to Frontier, the latest violations came after residents and local city officials had renewed concerns over black dust settling across parts of Ponca City. Earlier this year, the City Council and the Ponca Tribe of Indians called on state regulators to investigate the source of the black dust.
The Department of Environmental Quality report on the new violations detailed two inspections earlier this year where state officials saw broken bags of carbon black on the ground and cited Continental Carbon for not reporting the spills. Throughout the report, the Department of Environmental Quality said it wasn’t able to fully determine compliance in some areas because of a lack of records. Regulators also noted that since 2022, several production units had exceeded emission limits for carbon monoxide, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide, among other substances. The federal government regulates these pollutants based on their harms to human health and the environment.
The Department of Environmental Quality said the company has until July 9 to respond by submitting a plan to bring the plant into compliance. If not, the facility can face up to $10,000 in fines per day per violation.
