RG Steel To Pay $135K For Alleged Air Violations

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The new owners of the Sparrows Point steel mill outside Baltimore must pay $135,000 for alleged air pollution violations.

The Maryland Department of the Environment and the attorney general's office announced the consent decree with RG Steel on Thursday.

The environment department says a suit it filed last month against RG Steel was prompted by a 2009 blast furnace incident that occurred before the company bought the plant earlier this year.

However, RG Steel must take steps to minimize blast furnace emissions. The consent decree also resolves alleged violations in other areas of the mill.

The 2009 incident involved a pressure surge that caused emergency valves to open allowing pollutants to escape. The
agreement requires the company to prevent unnecessary or prolonged activation of the relieve valves.

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