By Agence France-Presse ChevronTexaco Corp. will spend $275 million dollars to curb air pollution and settle charges it violated the U.S. Clean Air Act, federal prosecutors and regulators said on Oct. 16. The oil giant also will pay a $3.5 million civil penalty and spend more than $4 million on other environmental projects in communities around its refineries, the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency said in a joint statement. The settlement could reduce harmful air emissions by almost 10,000 tons per year from five petroleum refineries that represent about 5% of total U.S. refining capacity, they added. The states of Hawaii, Mississippi, and Utah and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in California would share some of that money, the statement said. The settlement, subject to a 30-day public comment period, would require Chevron to install controls to reduce emissions at the refineries, cutting annual emissions of nitrogen oxide by more than 3,300 tons and sulfur dioxide by nearly 6,300 tons, the agencies said. The air pollutants have been tied to serious respiratory problems and can exacerbate childhood asthma. The affected Chevron refineries are located in Richmond and El Segundo, Calif.; Pascagoula, Miss.; Salt Lake City and Kapolei, Hawaii. The company was unavailable for immediate comment. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2003
