The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has settled with Calumet Montana Refining for a $385,000 penalty over a Clean Air Act Risk Risk Management Program violations at its Great Falls facility.

The settlement, filed as a consent agreement and final order on Dec. 12 resulted from a 2019 EPA inspection at the Calumet facility in Great Falls that revealed several violations related to the management of flammable mixtures and hydrofluoric acid, according to an EPA release.

Deficiencies were associated with process safety information, hazard analysis, mechanical integrity and operating procedures. The company has been cooperative in correcting all identified deficiencies to reduce the possibility of an accidental release, according to the EPA.

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Calumet said in a statement that the 2019 “alleged infractions were administrative in nature and were not related to any allegation of harm to the community or the environment.”

Carlos Centurion, Great Falls plant manager, said in a release, “we love our community and invest in equipment and procedural improvements and safety training as a regular part of our business. However, this settlement is in reference to administrative practices, which we have improved accordingly.”

The case is part of EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative to reduce risks from chemical accidents and addresses compliance within the petroleum refining industry sector, which can pose serious risks from such accidents.

After recommendations from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board in April 2019, the EPA focused on compliance with the RMP at petroleum refining facilities that store and process hydrofluoric acid.

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“Facilities must properly handle hazardous substances to prevent dangerous chemical accidents and follow reporting requirements when releases occur,” Suzanne Bohan, EPA Region 8’s enforcement and compliance assurance division manager, said in a release. “If they don’t, EPA will hold them accountable. We are pleased that Calumet Montana Refining is implementing critical safety measures to protect workers and the community.”

Calumet’s Great Falls facility is subject to Clean Air Act RMP regulations because it stores and processes large quantities of flammable mixtures and hydrofluoric acid, a highly toxic substance that may cause severe injury, burns or death when released into air, according to the EPA.

The RMP rule requires facilities holding more than 10,000 pounds of flammable mixture or 1,000 pounds of hydrofluoric acid to develop a RMP and submit that plan to EPA.

RMPs address the proper design and maintenance of equipment such as pipes and vessels, emergency preparedness and the ability to minimize releases that may occur, and provide valuable information to local emergency response personnel to prepare for and respond to chemical emergencies, according to the EPA.

More information on the Clean Air Act and RMP rule requirements, is here. visit the here.