Perdue agrees to $12M settlement with Maryland Department of the Environment
SALISBURY, Md. – Wednesday, a $12 million settlement was announced between Perdue Agribusiness LLC and the Maryland Department of the Environment.
The agreement, a consent decree filed in Wicomico County Circuit Court, will avoid prolonged litigation for both parties.
Officials said that Perdue’s regulatory missteps were two-fold. “The most basic requirement is that you follow the law, and the law does say that you need a permit. But in this instance, they also went on to have those exceedances which contribute to poor air quality in Maryland and particularly in that community,” said Aneca Atkinson, Assistant Secretary of Environmental Justice at MDE.
In 2017, Perdue applied for new air quality permits that would have allowed the expansion of its soybean oil extraction operations. After the state informed Perdue the project would be subject to additional review, Perdue withdrew its application. According to court documents the company went on to install and operate new equipment without informing the state.
“Perdue has been at the table and in some regards have agreed that they, you know, there were some missteps here that they’re willing to rectify,” Atkinson said.
In a statement, Perdue Spokesperson Kate Shaw said, in part: “The discrepancy was discovered in May of 2020, as part of our air permit renewal process. We take full accountability for what occurred. The individuals who did not reapply for the permit are no longer with the company.”
“We’re doing our job as MDE to ensure that at the basic level, folks are following the environmental laws of Maryland and of the federal government, because we know when they don’t, the ones that get impacted the most are the overburdened communities.”
Atkinson said that, with Perdue’s cooperation, the $4 million of the settlement going towards environmental projects will be a net-positive for the community.
“What this shows is that industry can operate and they can come back into compliance and still continue to play an important role in the economics of the state.”
Now, I mentioned that$4 million of the settlement will be going toward environmental projects. $3.5 million will be for onsite pollution reduction, with $400,000 going to the City of Salisbury for terrascaping projects.
The Maryland Department of the Environment says the remaining $8 million dollar civil penalty is one of the largest in its history.
That’s second only to its previous 29-million-dollar settlement with Volkswagen and affiliated companies.
