HEARTLAND REFINERY
One of the companies with a big impact on the environment is Heartland Refinery Group. LCC. Heartland Refinery Group is a petroleum refinery and is part of the petroleum lubricating oil and grease manufacturing industry.[1] Some of the services this company offers are used oil and antifreeze pickup and removal, wastewater treatment, and oil-water separation.[2] Although they consider themselves a full service environmental company, they have not been helping the environment in every case. In Quarter 6 (01/01-03/31/16) and Quarter 7 (04/01-06/30/16), they were in non-compliance according to ECHO (ECHO is one of the main sources for business’ environmental data, although it may not be reliable in every case). Heartland’s violations were in Generators- Pre-transport, Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD)- Container Use and Management, Universal Waste- Small Quantities Handlers and Used Oil Generators. Although Heartland Refinery may not be the cause of this, they were also a non-attainment area for particulate matter in 1997 and again in 2008 for the ozone. As of 2014, their total aggregate emissions, including the amount of hydrochloric acid, has greatly increased while the amount of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and lead has mildly decreased or stayed relatively the same.[3] However, these detrimental effects did not go unattended.
The increased emissions may be due to the several accidents Heartland Petroleum has had since March of 2009. One of the most significant accidents was the evacuation of 4,000 employees due to the uncontrolled release of gas which contained hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide. Another accident includes a fire in 2010 which resulted from failure to control the release of flammable liquids and vapors. This catastrophe left Heartland Refinery with $68,900 in penalties.[4] These various accidents released putrid odors and provoked thousands of letters from local residents to be sent to Heartland Refinery Group CEO William Snedegar, who has a history of company leaks. He was urged to clean up his plant, use up to date pollution controls and eliminate the gasses the facility was emitting.[5] With so many complaints about the odor Heartland Refinery was causing, the company was threatened to be shut down. Nevertheless, Heartland Refinery agreed to comply with its permit, continue to make the improvements required by 2010 and 2011 court orders, implement a public notification system and pay a civil penalty; therefor, with the recognition of Heartland Refinery’s efforts, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Ohio EPA Director Scott J. Nally announced on March 6, 2012 that the company would continue to operate.[6]
[1] Heartland Refinery Group ECHO Report, EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database, https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110023126133, accessed October 21, 2017
[2] Heartland Petroleum Products and Services, Heartland Petroleum, http://www.heartland-petroleum.com/services.asp, accessed October 21, 2017
[3] Heartland Refinery Group ECHO Report, EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database, https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110023126133, accessed October 21, 2017
[4] US Department of Labor’s OSHA fines Heartland Refinery in Columbus, Ohio, $68,000 for exposing workers to fire hazards, Ohio Citizen Action, http://ohiocitizen.org/us-department-of-labors-osha-fines-heartland-refinery-in-columbus-ohio-68000-for-exposing-workers-to-fire-hazards/, accessed October 21, 2017
[5] 2,103 Ohio residents to Heartland Petroleum: Be a better neighbor, Ohio Citizen Action, http://ohiocitizen.org/2103-ohio-residents-to-heartland-petroleum-be-a-better-neighbor/, accessed October 21, 2017
[6] State, Columbus Refinery Settle Air Pollution Violations, Ohio Attorney General, http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/March-2012/State-Columbus-Refinery-Settle-Air-Pollution-Viol, accessed October 21, 2017