Company to pay $470,000 in fines over Kansas City explosion

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A company whose Kansas City distribution plant exploded more than a year ago has agreed to pay about $470,000 in fines to two federal agencies.

The Environmental Protection Agency this week said Chemcentral Midwest Corp. would pay $225,000 to settle a lawsuit the EPA filed. The EPA alleged that the company violated the Clean Air Act and other regulations related to emergency planning and notification.

Chemcentral also will pay more than $150,000 to reimburse the EPA for costs it incurred responding to the incident.

Earlier in the week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it had resolved its case against the company, with Chemcentral agreeing to pay $94,875 to resolve alleged workplace safety violations. The agency had wanted $126,000.

The EPA said in its consent agreement that Chemcentral "neither admits nor denies" the agency's allegations.

A Chemcentral spokeswoman said the company would have no other comment.

The Feb. 7, 2007, blast at the company's five-acre property injured two employees and cast a black pall of smoke over much of downtown Kansas City for hours.

EPA investigators said the explosion came as workers were transferring Indopol, a trade name for the chemical polybutene, which is used in numerous sealants, coatings, lubricants and adhesives.

The agency filed suit in July, claiming Chemcentral hadn't identified the chemical hazards and had failed to design and maintain a safe facility. EPA officials also said the company hadn't notified emergency management and fire officials that Indopol was being stored on the site, which would violate the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

According to the consent agreement, the EPA initially demanded $434,000 in fines but lowered the amount in negotiations.

The EPA will hold a 30-day public comment period before finalizing the $150,713 in reimbursement costs. The EPA said the amount could be changed or the consent agreement withdrawn if the comments "disclose facts or considerations that indicate the settlement is inappropriate, improper or inadequate."

---

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com