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Regulators Seek Bayer Payment Reduction In West Virginia
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to allow Bayer CropScience to spend a reduced amount to resolve safety violations cited in a 2008 explosion that killed two workers at a West Virginia chemical plant.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the EPA is seeking to let the company reduce the amount it spends on supplemental environmental projects by nearly $1.4 million. EPA filings in federal court in Charleston show the amount spent would now be about $3 million.
Under the proposal, instead of completing a wastewater treatment improvement project at its Institute plant, Bayer would purchase equipment for volunteer fire departments in Institute and nearby Jefferson.
According to court filings, the EPA and Bayer say the new proposal would “better advance the objectives of chemical accident prevention laws.”
The Institute plant is now controlled by Dow Chemical.