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Royal Oak Enterprises to Pay $450,000 for Air Violations At Kenbridge, Va. Plant

Release Date: 7/11/2000
Contact Information: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548

David Sternberg, 215-814-5548

KENBRIDGE, Va. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Royal Oak Enterprises Inc. has agreed to pay a $450,000 penalty to settle alleged Clean Air Act violations at the company’s former charcoal production plant in Kenbridge, Va.

The October 1999 complaint filed by U.S. Attorneys Office on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleged that Royal Oak violated federally-enforceable state regulations on particulate pollution. Specifically, the government claimed that emissions from the plant’s charcoal kiln smokestacks violated limits on visible emissions and the quantity of particulate emissions from 1994 through 1998.

Particulate emissions have been linked to asthma and other respiratory ailments, and pose particular risks for children and the elderly. Particulate pollution also leads to reduced visibility.

Royal Oaks shut down the charcoal kilns in May 1999. The settlement requires the company to comply with federal and state air pollution control requirements if the plant reopens.

If approved by the court after a 30-day public comment period, the proposed consent decree will resolve the complaint. As part of the settlement, the company did not admit liability for the alleged violations.