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EPA Reaches Agreement With Ford; Includes $135,000 Fine

4 November 1997

EPA Reaches Agreement With Ford; Includes $135,000 Fine

    CHICAGO, Nov. 4 -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Region 5 and the U.S. Department of Justice have recently reached agreement
with Ford Motor Co. on alleged Clean Air Act violations at the
company's auto assembly plant, 12600 South Torrence Ave., Chicago.  The
agreement includes a $135,000 penalty.
    The Ford plant uses large amounts of cleanup solvents, which release
volatile organic compounds (VOC's) into the air.  Ford was cited in a
simultaneous complaint for exceeding Federal VOC emissions limits continuously
from July 1, 1991, through November 20, 1996.
    Ford agreed to a compliance program that will limit VOC emissions from
cleanup solvents to 390 tons a year.  The company must also submit quarterly
reports to EPA on VOC emissions from cleanup solvents.
    The Ford plant is in Metropolitan Chicago, which does not meet
health-based standards for ground-level ozone, a byproduct of VOC's.
    "EPA is committed to enforcing clean-air regulations to protect public
health and the environment," said David Kee, director of the regional Air and
Radiation Division.  "We will take all steps necessary to ensure that
companies comply with the Clean Air Act."
    VOC's combine in the atmosphere with other chemicals to form ground-level
ozone, which can cause breathing problems, reduced lung function, eye
irritation, stuffy nose, and reduced resistance to colds and other infections.
It can aggravate asthma and may speed up aging of lung tissue.
    The agreement, or consent decree, was lodged with the U.S. District Court
for the Northern District of Illinois, Chicago.

SOURCE  United States Environmental Protection Agency