Genie fined for air quality violations

Company pursuing new paint technologies to reduce emissions

MOSES LAKE — In the wake of a fine from the state's Department of Ecology, Genie Industries' manager says the company is committed to environmental safety.

The department is fining the Moses Lake lift-manufacturing facility $12,500 for releasing more toxic chemicals into the air than the company's air-quality permit allows.

The department approved Genie's permit in 2000, which included restrictions on the amount of paints and solvents the company could use each year at the facility. Annual reports submitted by Genie show some of those restrictions have been exceeded since 2002.

Plant manager George Santiago said the company is aggressively pursuing alternative paint technologies to lower emission levels as production levels increase in Moses Lake.

"We have been working on this for quite some time," he said. "Therefore, we were in the process of already bringing on board some alternate technologies."

In 2006, the company invested about $1 million in a powder-coat system with zero air emissions, which came online in the late summer.

"We have been aggressively loading it up with as many parts as we can," Santiago said.

The company is also examining its paint formulation to ensure environmental friendliness, he added.

In looking at business demands for 2007, the company is deciding whether it must look at additional paint systems for 2007.

"We believe we will be under the requirements that our permitting process allows us," Santiago said. "We are also working to adjust our permitting process."

It's the first time Genie has been fined for the issue, Santiago said.

Use of the products above permitted limits resulted in additional air toxic emissions not evaluated during the original permit-approval process. Evaporation of the products contributes to toxic air pollution, according to a Department of Ecology release.

Genie has also violated air-quality regulations by generating toxic air emissions from a urethane catalyst, a process not submitted for review when the company applied for its permit.

"Reducing toxic threats is a top priority for Ecology and our state," said Grant Pfeifer, manager of the department's Spokane office. "We don't have all the answers about how to get toxic chemicals out of the environment, but industries can help by following the terms of their permits."

The amount of the penalty took into consideration Genie did not exceed any health-based emission standards, and some coatings were collected and shipped off-site as hazardous waste.

Genie may appeal the penalty to the department or to the state's Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days. Santiago said if an appeal is relevant for the company to pursue, that will happen.

"Genie is committed to protecting the environment," he said. "We are a good neighbor in the community. Our continued growth in the community is allowing us to continue to invest in capital investments in the plant."