MPCA completes 47 enforcement cases in first quarter of 2017
Published 9:04 pm Wednesday, May 3, 2017
In its ongoing efforts to promote environmental compliance, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency concluded 47 enforcement cases in 26 counties throughout Minnesota during the first quarter of this year. Penalties from all 47 cases totaled just over $440,000.
Environmental enforcement investigations often take several months, and in highly complex cases more than a year. Although, in rare instances, they can involve courts, they are most often negotiated settlements where the goal is compliance with environmental rules. Fines issued are targeted to match the environmental harm, economic advantage gained or environmental corrective actions.
In addition to these 47 recently-completed cases, the MPCA also has 49 ongoing enforcement investigations, 19 of which were opened as new cases during the first quarter of 2017. Not all investigations lead to fines or other official action.
Imposing monetary penalties is only part of the MPCA’s enforcement process. Agency staff continue to provide assistance, support and information on the steps and tools necessary to achieve compliance for any company, individual, or local government that requests it.
The following is a brief summary of all 47 cases completed during the first quarter of this year:
Fitzgerald Excavating & Trucking Inc., Jason Fitzgerald, Goodhue, for solid waste and underground storage tank violations, $80,000
Ever Cat Fuels LLC, Isanti, for above-ground storage tank, emergency management, hazardous waste and industrial stormwater violations, $59,912
Cirrus Design Corp., Duluth, for air quality violations, $50,000
City of Virginia, Virginia, for air quality violations, $27,500
Midwest Aircraft Refinishing, Hibbing, for air quality violations, $25,000
Joe Wagner, Parkers Prairie, for feedlot violations, $20,000
Jordan Sands LLC, Mankato, for air quality violations, $20,000
Essar Steel MN LLC, & Hammerland Construction, Nashwauk, for construction stormwater violations, $11,787
DENCO II LLC, Morris, for air quality violations, $10,500
Carstens Industries Inc., Melrose, for air quality violations, $10,105
Cytec Engineered Materials Inc., Winona, for air quality violations, $9,620
Essar Steel MN LLC, Nashwauk, for construction stormwater violations, $8,687
Alliance Building Corp., St. Cloud, for construction stormwater violations, $7,951
Overland Properties LLC, Hector, for construction stormwater violations, $7,855
DCI Inc., St. Cloud, for hazardous waste violations, $7,475
AGCO Corp Jackson Operations, Jackson, for air quality violations, $6,805
Southern Building Company, Hector, for construction stormwater violations, $6,355
CarMax 6008, Brooklyn Park, for air quality violations, $6,324
Puchalla Properties LLC, St. Cloud, for construction stormwater violations, $5,386
Independent School District 728, Elk River, for construction stormwater violations, $5,025
New Look Contracting, Inc., Elk River, for construction stormwater violations, $4,725
Agra Resources LLC, POET Biorefining, Albert Lea, for air quality violations, $4,410
John Glady Farm, Wykoff, for solid waste violations, $4,158
Joe Otto, Pillager, for hazardous waste violations, $4,075
Douglas Nelson, St. James, for solid waste violations, $3,876
Malteurop North America Inc., Winona, for air quality violations, $3,710
Waltz Septic Cleaning, Canby, for subsurface septic treatment system violations, $3,450
Danckwart Landscaping LLC, Kellogg, for solid waste violations, $3,125
Casey Bates, Wykoff, for solid waste violations, $3,000
Lakeside Auto Body, Lakefield, for air quality and hazardous waste violations, $2,800
Nathan Wiener, Sauk Centre, for solid waste violations, $2,730
Custom Truck Body & Equipment Co. Inc., Rochester, for air quality violations, $1,688
MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting, Minneapolis, for air quality violations, $1,688
MC Concrete and Excavation Enterprises Inc., and Michael Badger, Rochester, for subsurface septic treatment system violations, $1,565
NEH Body Shops, Inc., dba Professional Auto Body, St. Paul, for air quality violations, $1,563
SMI & Hydraulics, Inc., Porter, for air quality violations, $1,563
Imperial Plastics, Inc., Mora, for industrial stormwater violations, $1,500
City of Revere, Revere, for wastewater violations, $1,437
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Scenic State Park, Bigfork, for wastewater violations, $1,250
Dream Island Holdings LLC, Detroit Lakes, for construction stormwater violations, $1,100
Amos and Rhoda Miller property, Mabel, for subsurface septic treatment system violations, $1,000
SMI & Hydraulics, Porter, for air quality violations, $625
Voronyak Builders Inc., Perham, for construction stormwater violations, $596
DW Jones Inc., Perham, for construction stormwater violations, $596
Kaba Junk Removal Service LLC, Brooklyn Park, for hazardous waste violations, $500
Hough Inc., Detroit Lakes, for construction stormwater violations, $488
Holiday Companies, Detroit Lakes, for construction stormwater violations, $488
A complete summary of environmental enforcement actions and news releases can be found on the MPCA’s News Media Center Web page. For questions on specific enforcement cases, please contact Stephen Mikkelson, information officer at (218) 316-3887, or toll free at (800) 657-3864.