Texas-based, Pelican Refining LLC, pleaded guilty to felony violations of the federal Clean Air Act and obstructing justice and agreed to pay a record fine. The Texas company owns a refinery in southwestern Louisiana, and they will pay $12 million for problems at its Lake Charles refinery, including $2 million for air pollution monitoring and other environmental projects in the state, according to a plea agreement reached in federal court. A judge must approve the agreement. Pelican acknowledged that it had violated numerous standards in its permit – including emissions of potentially deadly hydrogen sulfide – and submitted false emissions reports to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Pelican vice president, Byron Hamilton, pleaded guilty on July 6 to two Clean Air Act violations. He faces up to a year in prison and a $200,000 fine for each count. “We regret this chapter in our history, but Pelican and its employees have worked diligently since 2007 to make sure the refinery meets state and federal laws,” said company spokeswoman Dorothy Beeler.

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