The Delaware City Refinery faces penalties from a pollution control failure earlier this year.
The refinery was cited by DNREC for a March 13 incident, during which an equipment failure caused the release of some 38,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 262,000 pounds of carbon monoxide, along with visible black smoke. The uncontrolled emissions lasted approximately ten hours.
According to DNREC, the facility was served with a notice of violation on May 29. Next, DNREC will calculate the penalty for the violation, based on state law and any mitigating factors like the environmental harm and the refinery’s violation history.
The March 13 accident preceded a second, longer-lasting failure with the same device in late May and early June. That incident remains under investigation by DNREC officials.
This is the fourth Notice of Violation the refinery has received in the last twelve months. The facility has a history of environmental violations, including a fire in 2020 that injured two workers and caused leaks of several chemicals into the air.
