An oil recycling facility will pay a $230,000 fine for pollution violations in South Baltimore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday.
Petroleum Recovery and Remediation Management, Inc. violated federal clean air and water laws during the treatment, recycling and disposal of petroleum waste at its Curtis Bay site, according to a release from agency press. The company also operated bulk storage tanks that had the potential to emit a hazardous air pollutant, the release said.
Following a settlement agreement, the facility now stores only waste oil and diesel fuel, no longer receives volatile liquids and will no longer operate processing equipment that was the primary cause of the federal violations, according to the press release.
Neither Petroleum Recovery and Remediation Management nor the EPA immediately responded to requests for comment Tuesday evening.
Several environmental concerns have been raised recently in South Baltimore, where the waterfront is heavily industrialized and there are few homes nearby.
Last month, Maryland filed a lawsuit against Curtis Bay Energy, a medical waste incinerator, for air pollution violations, months after slapping the company with a hefty fine.
Meanwhile, the Curtis Bay neighborhood is covered in dangerous coal dust, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University, the state and several community groups. The report led to a December town hall meeting in which residents called on the state to block the renewal of CSX’s license to operate a coal terminal in the neighborhood.
And in December 2021, an explosion at the CSX coal docks shook the neighborhood, shaking homes, shattering windows and sending a cloud of smoke into the air. No injuries were reported following the explosion. Since then, MDE and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration have taken action against CSX, imposing fines and setting requirements for improvement.
