PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, L.P.
Outcome
PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer entered a consent decree requiring corrective action and compliance measures at its Geismar, Louisiana phosphoric acid manufacturing facility to resolve RCRA hazardous waste violations.
Details
PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, L.P. — RCRA Hazardous Waste Violations at Louisiana Facility (2022)
Outcome: PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, L.P. entered a consent decree requiring corrective action and RCRA compliance measures at its phosphoric acid manufacturing facility in Geismar, Louisiana, resolving violations of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act hazardous waste management requirements.
PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, L.P., a fertilizer manufacturing subsidiary operating a phosphoric acid production facility in Geismar, Ascension Parish, Louisiana, faced RCRA enforcement action related to hazardous waste management practices at the facility. Phosphoric acid manufacturing produces phosphogypsum and associated process wastewater streams that are subject to RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste regulations. The facility's management of these waste streams did not fully satisfy RCRA requirements.
The settlement, announced July 14, 2022, required PCS Nitrogen to implement corrective action measures at the Geismar facility to address any environmental contamination resulting from past RCRA violations and to come into compliance with ongoing RCRA hazardous waste management obligations. The consent decree was part of EPA's broader enforcement initiative targeting RCRA compliance at phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilizer manufacturing facilities, which as a sector have historically generated significant volumes of regulated waste in the Gulf Coast and southeastern United States.
Geismar is located in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, a concentration of petrochemical, fertilizer, and specialty chemical manufacturing facilities that collectively represent one of the highest densities of RCRA-regulated hazardous waste generation in the country. Enforcement actions in this corridor reflect EPA Region 6's sustained focus on RCRA compliance among the region's large and mid-size chemical manufacturers.
Primary Source: PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, L.P. Settlement Information Sheet | US EPA
How Crucible Prevents This
Phosphoric acid manufacturing generates phosphogypsum and process wastewater classified as hazardous waste under RCRA — a regulatory determination that many fertilizer manufacturers contest, creating compliance ambiguity. Crucible's decision log capturing the legal determinations underlying hazardous waste classification, combined with session-init MEMORY reviewing current RCRA permit status for waste streams, would prevent the gap between regulatory classification and operational practice that drives RCRA violations. The consent decree corrective action requirement reflects the cost of that gap.
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