Area scrap plant fined for emission infractions

Multiple violations by Springfield plant date back to April.

Gregory Trotter • News-Leader

Springfield Iron and Metal, a scrap metal plant, has been fined by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for emission violations.

Last week, DNR officials notified Springfield Iron and Metal's parent company -- American Pulverizer Co. in St. Louis -- of a $20,000 penalty for three emissions violations dating back to April. The company must accept the fine, negotiate a compromise with DNR or face litigation.

The plant at 1323 W. Locust St. was shut down for emissions violations on May 16 by county health officials. Less than a week later, it resumed business while working with city officials to comply with regulations.

As of Friday, no agreement on the settlement had been reached, said Nicole Eby, an environmental specialist for the DNR's Air Pollution Control Program.

"It's been an ongoing process," Eby said. "We're going to continue to keep an eye on them going forward."

There have been no violations at Springfield Iron and Metal since July, Eby said, and the plant took the necessary measures to come into compliance with emissions regulations.

If no agreement is reached between DNR and American Pulverizer, the case could be referred to the attorney general to pursue litigation.

After the three violations -- two in April and one in July -- the company made personnel changes and increased its efforts to better educate its employees and suppliers, said Paul Griesedieck, vice president of American Pulverizer.

"We want to be good citizens," he said. "We're working with city and state officials to get the emissions to an acceptable level."

The plant had problems with dust and smoke emissions. Residents also complained of loud explosions from cars that were shredded with gas or propane tanks inside them.

In two surveillance visits, Brian Adams, air quality specialist for the county health department, found smoke emissions were more opaque than regulations allowed. He also observed "fugitive dust particles" traveling beyond the plant's property.

Since then, plant workers were instructed to increase the water sprayed during shredding to limit emissions, Griesedieck said. Car suppliers were told to puncture or remove fuel tanks to avoid explosions.

There were more than 30 people regularly complaining about Springfield Iron and Metal in the summer, Adams said. Complaints have all but vanished in the last three months.

"They seem to be operating a lot better," he said.

The county health department does not have the proper equipment to monitor the air quality near the plant, Adams said, but it investigates complaints and conducts surveillance visits according to EPA standards.

But at least one man says the plant's emissions are still harming people in the neighborhood.

"It's still hurting people in the area," said Mike Howell, a night watchman at Dunaway Auto Sales who says he has suffered headaches, sore throat and respiratory difficulties because of the plant.

Other people like him are suffering, Howell said, and cannot afford medical care.

"We're really hassled by it, and it's annoying and it gives us headaches," he said.

Howell filed three complaints in the past week with state and local officials. None of the complaints were found to be valid upon investigation, Adams said.

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