Kaiser Handed $20,000 Fine

The Washington state Department of Ecology fined Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. $20,000 Thursday for making changes at the company’s Mead plant without the proper air quality permits.

In 1995, Kaiser made two alterations in potrooms where aluminum is smelted. The changes resulted in higher emissions of fluoride and small particulates such as dust and soot, according to DOE.

Kaiser told DOE inspectors that the projects had been the cause of the air pollution, according to Ecology spokeswoman Jani Gilbert.

She said Kaiser had not obtained a “notice of construction” air quality permit, as state law requires for any modification in which air emissions may be negatively affected.

But Kaiser spokeswoman Susan Ashe said,“This notice of construction penalty is completely unwarranted.” The projects in the potrooms were to improve worker safety, she said. “They did not increase emissions. In fact, they reduced them.”