Alexandria ethanol plant fined $28,000

ALEXANDRIA — The POET Biorefining ethanol plant at Alexandria has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $28,000 to settle alleged air-pollution violations.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management alleged that on three occasions in 2010 and 2011, the plant operated its fermentation and distillation processes without a pollution control device.

The agency says the violations were related to the section of POET's operating permit regulating the control of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants.

The civil penalty also covers POET's alleged failure to submit quarterly "deviation and compliance monitoring" reports in the third quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011.

POET agreed to pay $5,640 to the state's environmental management special fund. In lieu of paying the remaining civil penalty, the company agreed to make a cash payment of $22,560 to the Indiana Finance Authority to fund activities at a brownfield site in Alexandria. The brownfield project will be chosen by agreement of POET, IDEM, the city of Alexandria and IFA.

POET also operates an ethanol plant in Portland.

source: thestarpress