BIOKYOWA AGREES TO PAY FINE IN MISSOURI

Cape Girardeau's Biokyowa Inc., an animal feed manufacturer, has agreed to pay a $15,000 fine to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for releasing excessive ammonia into the air.

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon charged the company with violating the Missouri Air Conservation Law.

Joe Gambill, Biokyowa's plant manager, said the charge was dropped in exchange for the fine.

Gambill said the ammonia was released when an operator at the plant left a hatch open, which allowed the ammonia to escape into the air and bypass equipment designed to filter the gas.

The Missouri DNR inspected the facility on Oct. 27, 1992, and discovered the open hatches.

"The equipment was there; it was just that the hatch was left open by mistake," he said. "The DNR has to inspect once a year, and they've done that since we've been here. We've never had a problem before. It was just an operator error."

Nixon said in a statement released this week that Biokyowa must comply with the Air Conservation law or risk facing additional penalties.

"We believe this company possessed the proper equipment to comply with the law," Nixon said. "However, the equipment was by-passed. Such disregard for the law will not be tolerated."

Biokyowa, a subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd. Inc. of Japan, produces an animal feed additive at its facility in the Cape Girardeau Industrial Park.

The $15,000 will be paid to the DNR's Natural Resources Protection Fund.