Battery maker EnerSys Energy Products Inc. was fined $430,500 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over violations of the federal Clean Air Act. The infringements are alleged to have occurred at the company’s Warrensburg and two Springfield facilities.
The Missouri-based company is a subsidiary of EnerSys Inc. The EPA said besides the civil penalty, the company will spend an estimated $250,000 in compliance costs to resolve the alleged violations.
Jodi Bruno of the EPA said on Thursday the local communities near the plants are disproportionately affected by pollution.
In the settlement documents, the EPA alleges the company’s facilities emit lead as part of their manufacturing process. During 2022 and 2023, the agency carried out inspections at the Warrensburg and Springfield facilities. After reviewing documents submitted by the company, the EPA determined that the company failed to report to the EPA when the facilities’ emission control equipment operated outside of the appropriate pressure range.
The company also failed to report what corrective actions the facilities took. The EPA said reporting obligations exist to reduce the possibility of a severe failure of emission control equipment, which could result in excess lead emissions.
