Atlanta, GA – A Murfreesboro business is one of 11 southeastern US firms receiving Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fines for alleged violations of Section 112® of the Clean Air Act settlement.
On April 11, 2024, a Consent Agreement and Final Order was filed regarding The Kroger Co., doing business as Heritage Farms Dairy, located in Murfreesboro.
It resolves alleged Risk Management Program violations that were identified regarding the facility’s ammonia refrigeration plant during an EPA inspection conducted in December 2021.
The CAFO requires the company to pay a penalty of $7,309 and spend at least $32,015 to complete an emergency planning and preparedness supplemental environmental project, consisting of the purchase and donation of emergency response equipment to the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department.
"These settlements emphasize the importance for facilities to control and minimize the risks associated with hazardous substances,” said Keriema Newman, Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division in EPA’s Southeast Region. “Maintaining equipment and instituting procedures, including those for emergency preparedness, are necessary factors to protect human health and the environment.”
The other businesses that were levied EPA fines include:
- Kroger Memphis Distribution Center
- Blue Bell Creameries in Sylacauga, AL
- Koch Foods of Mississippi, LLC in Morton MS
- SFC Global Supply Chain, Inc. in Florence, KY
- Koch Foods of Gadsden, LLC in Gadsden, AL
- Siemer Milling Company in Hopkinsville, KY
- Taylor Farms Tennessee, Inc in Covington, KY
- Sanderson Farms, LLC in Laurel, MS
- Airgas USA, LLC in Hopkinsville, KY
The objective of the CAA 112(r)(7) CAPP and RMP is to prevent accidental releases of extremely hazardous substances and to minimize the consequences of those releases that do occur. Accidental releases of extremely hazardous substances can have serious consequences on public health, safety, and the environment.
