Maui Company Cited for Air Permit Violations

Puunene in Central Maui looking mauka to Kula, photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health, Clean Air Branch has issued Notices of Violations and Orders against eight companies for air permit violations—two of them were from Maui County.

Jas. W. Glover Ltd. paid a $5,600 fine for failing to conduct a 2010 annual performance test for particulate matter at an asphalt plant located at the Puunene Quarry.

Maui Paving, on Molokai paid a $3,500 fine for failing to maintain pressure in its scrubber during production of asphalt at the Kalama’ula Industrial Park.

Violations at both facilities were discovered during a records review.

Other companies assessed fines for violations included:

• Pacific Concrete Cutting & Coring, Inc.: was assessed an $11,600 penalty for various permit violations at its mobile crushing plant in Lihue, Kaua‘i. A consent order is currently being negotiated.
• Grace Pacific Corporation: Paid a$4,700 penalty for failing to conduct monthly opacity observations for various months in 2010 and 2011 on its 725 kW diesel engine generator. The corporation paid an additional $4,100 fine for failing to conduct monthly opacity observations on diesel engine, rip-rap, and recycled aggregate for various months in 2010 and 2011 at its crushing, screening, and aggregate recycling plants located in Makakilo Quarry on O‘ahu.
• Unitek Solvent Services, Inc.: Paid $2,100 for late submittals of annual emission and semi-annual monitoring reports. Unitek operates a 70 horsepower boiler and waste oil reprocessing facility at Campbell Industrial Park, O‘ahu.
• Phillip Services Hawai‘i: Paid $14,400 for failing to install, operate and maintain a high temperature audible alarm and automatic shutdown system within 180 days after permit issuance on its oil dehydrator. PSH was also fined for not conducting a source performance test on the oil dehydrator.
• E.M. Rivera and Sons, Inc.: Was assessed a $1,500 penalty for late submittal of compliance certification, annual fees, annual emission and semi-annual monitoring reports. The 730 and 505 TPH portable crushing plants are located on the island of Hawai‘i.
• Chevron Products Company, Hawai‘i Refinery: Paid a $4,300 penalty for failing to report a tank leak within five days and repairing the tank leak within 45 days of a leak. Chevron operates an oil refinery in the Campbell Industrial Park, O‘ahu.

The violations were either self-reported or discovered during routine inspections or records reviews.

DOH officials say penalties are generally assessed on violators to remove any economic benefit they may have gained from their noncompliance and put them in a worse situation than those who comply with the law. Fines are paid into a revolving special fund used to prevent or minimize damage to the environment.

The companies that were fined have the right to request a hearing to contest DOH orders.

***Supporting information courtesy Hawaii DOH.