SETTLEMENT LETS PLANT OPEN AGAIN

SCOTT CITY -- Industrial Fuels and Resources Inc. of Scott City has settled a lawsuit with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) over allegations of illegal waste management procedures at the plant.

The settlement allows the plant to continue operations.

General Manager David Jordan said operations will begin at the plant by mid-March on a limited basis. A few of the 120 former employees that have been laid off since a fire at the plant last June will be called back to work at that time, he said, and more will possibly be called back in coming months.

A consent order allowing the plant to continue operations was signed recently in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court.

The lawsuit was brought by Industrial Fuels after the DNR asked the Missouri Attorney General's office to investigate possible violations of the state's Hazardous Waste Management Law at the plant.

The DNR accused the company of improper waste storage, using improper containers, accepting and processing waste for which the facility is not permitted and failing to provide adequate fire protection.

The agreement settles all disputes between Industrial Fuels and the DNR and specifies it is not an admission by the company or DNR of any violations of law.

As part of the settlement, Industrial Fuels has agreed to pay $130,000, which under Missouri law will go to the Scott County School Fund. The company will also provide environmental projects for the area, including household hazardous waste, school laboratory waste and abandoned waste disposal.