By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. - State officials have logged odor complaints attributed to Regional Environmental Solutions, but bad weather has prevented workers from following up, a state spokesman said last week.
Richard Beydler, public information coordinator for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in Jefferson City, said the state last week received a number of complaints from Carthage residents concerning odors they blamed on the Carthage company that converts turkey byproducts to crude oil.
He also said the state has made no decision on whether an earlier violation - the first since the end of a lawsuit that the city and state filed against the plant - would trigger a financial penalty.
Several complaints were called in to City Hall starting about Wednesday, a worker said, concerning odors callers claimed were coming from the plant.
Beydler said poor weather conditions prevented testing last week, but said workers will follow up on complaints received.
Beydler said state officials have not decided about possible action concerning an odor citation filed against the company in mid-November. He said officials working on the notice were out of the Jefferson City office because of bad weather.
"At this point, no decision has been made on whether to upgrade that notice or not," he said.
The Nov. 15 notice of excess emissions could trigger a $25,000 penalty if it is upgraded to a notice of violation. The company was given 15 days to respond to the state, with information on whether the odor was due to startup or shutdown problems, or an equipment malfunction.
If it does not meet one of those three criteria, the citation will be upgraded to a notice of violation.
Under a judgment that settled a lawsuit filed by the city and Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, the company agreed to pay $25,000 each for any odor violations that occurred in a two-year period that started in June.
The judgment also called for RES to pay $175,000 in civil penalties, with $100,000 due immediately and $75,000 suspended unless the plant was charged with additional violations of Missouri air conservation laws.
Biofuels
RES converts byproducts form the adjacent Butterball Turkey Co. plant into biofuels and other materials.
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