NatureWorks fined for pollution levels

Biodegradable resin manufacturer NatureWorks LLC has been ordered to pay fines totaling US$120,000 for violating pollution laws in the state of Nebraska.
In the case brought against the Minnetonka, Minn.-based NatureWorks by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ), the company’s Blair, Nebraska facility had been accused of emitting volatile organic compounds (VOC) and hazardous air pollutants (HAP) above the permitted levels from its vacuum pumps.
The NDEQ complaint listed acetaldehyde and methyl-ethyl ketone as among the HAPs emitted by the NatureWorks plant.
NatureWorks has been ordered to pay a fine of US$60,000, plus a contribution of US$60,000 to a building project at a local school. Also, NatureWorks has been given a little over a year to install the necessary emission control equipment at the Blair facility.