EPA: Coffeyville, Kansas Refinery To Pay $300,000 Penalty

The federal government has fined a Coffeyville, Kansas refinery $300,000 for what it calls deficiencies in the company's program to curb air pollution.

The Environmental Protection Agency said in a news release that Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing has agreed to pay the penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its Coffeyville plant.

Read EPA news release.

The EPA says the settlement addresses deficiencies in the refinery's risk management program, which is aimed at preventing or reducing the severity of accidental releases of air pollution. The settlement is subject to a 30-day comment period and approval by a federal court.

The settlement is the third for the company since 2012.

"This third settlement with CRRM illustrates the extent of environmental problems the facility needed to fix," said EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks. "Together these settlements will result in sustained environmental improvement at the facility, making Coffeyville a safer place to live and CRRM a safer place to work."

The first also addressed air pollution, while the second settlement announced earlier this year dealt with a 2007 oil spill into the Verdigris River.

2/17/2013 Related Story: Southeast Kansas Refinery To Pay $2.3 Million For 2007 Spill

The Associated Press contributed to this story.