August 1, 2013:

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Utah) – Thursday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Chevron in which the company agreed to pay $384,000 in penalties for violating the Clean Air Act at its refinery in Salt Lake City. The settlement stems from Clean Air Act violations which were discovered through an inspection by EPA and the State of Utah. The inspections found that Chevron made changes to the refinery's Fluid Catalytic Cracker Unit resulting in excess emissions of nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxide contributes to ground-level ozone, acid rain, and destruction of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and can also irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory illnesses. "It is critical that companies conduct business responsibly and obtain the proper permits before making infrastructure changes that increase emissions of air pollutants," said Mike Gaydosh, director of EPA's enforcement program in Denver. "This settlement will help ensure the company is operating in accordance with industry standards to protect the environment and the health of local communities." The settlement also requires Chevron to spend $100,000 in helping purchase four new, compressed natural gas school buses for the Jordan School District. The Jordan School District has been busing around students in CNG busses for about 13 years says the district’s transportation director. Herb Jensen tells ABC 4 Utah, “We were the pioneers in natural gas busses in the state of Utah.” Of the district’s 225 busses, 56 are natural gas. "It's the environmentally responsible thing to do, but it's also a very financially lucrative decision / investment for us to make,” explained Jensen.

So why did the Jordan School District get the money for CNG busses and not a community closer to where the pollution was released? Jensen explains, "We have a program that's proven and we're not knew to this." That and they’re one of only three school districts in the state with the CNG busses and the only school district with its own compressed natural gas compressor. Because the Jordan School District has its own compressor and fueling stations they save an average of $7,500 per bus per year when compared to diesel. The school district expects those busses in their fleet by the end of the month.

By abc4.com