By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Oct. 7 -- Citgo Petroleum Corp., Houston, agreed to install $320 million worth of pollution controls at six refineries that represent nearly 5% of total US refining capacity, the US Department of Justice said.
Citgo also agreed to pay a $3.6 million civil penalty to settle a federal lawsuit in the Houston-based US District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Under the agreement, Citgo is expected to reduce NOx emissions by 7,184 tons/year and sulfur dioxide emission by 23,250 tons/year. The agreement also calls for reductions of other air pollutants at all Citgo refineries, a DOJ news release said.
The states of Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Georgia are joining the settlement, which is part of the US Environmental Protection Agency's national effort to reduce air emissions from refineries.
The consent decree also requires Citgo to pay more than $5 million on a project to reduce NOx and carbon monoxide emissions at its Corpus Christi, Tex., refinery. The proposed consent decree is subject to final court approval.