SAGINAW, MI — Saginaw Metal Casting Operations could pay a $462,000 fine from state environmental officials for violating air quality rules and regulations.
In an enforcement summary letter authored Monday, June 13, by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), officials indicated staff with the General Motors-managed aluminum casting foundry incorporated calculation errors into a permit tied to operating two pieces of equipment there.
The miscalculation resulted in the foundry exceeding air emission limits for machinery used to process sand, a key ingredient in the engine blocks built at the automotive plant, state officials said.
Saginaw Metal Casting Operations staff self-reported the miscalculation in April 2021 after discovering it while preparing information for another permit, EGLE records show.
A letter from Saginaw Metal Casting Operations administrators to state officials indicated foundry staff “inadvertently” omitted calculations that accounted for emissions related to the combustion of sand-bound resin. Instead, the original permit only accounted for emissions related to natural gas combustion.
Working with EGLE inspectors, foundry staff spent 10 months revising the permit and adjusting processes before meeting emission standards in February 2022, state records show.
“We are committed to working with the appropriate regulatory agencies to ensure our facility fully complies with applicable regulations,” said Erin Davis, a General Motors spokesperson.
Jill Greenberg, a spokesperson for EGLE, said state officials were not aware of any health impacts on the surrounding northside Saginaw neighborhood.
“EGLE received no complaints about the facility from the community, and we are not aware of negative effects that we have quantified,” Greenberg said.
A 9-page proposed consent order authored by the state would fine the company $462,000 and require additional tests as well as the installation of new monitoring equipment.
First, though, the state must allow a 30-day period for the public to comment on the proposal. Citizens can review the details online and submit feedback before Wednesday, July 13. After that point, state officials will review the input and finalize the consent order.
General Motors reports about 475 employees work at the 1.9 million-square-foot foundry formerly known as Grey Iron, 1629 N. Washington. The facility opened in 1919, and in the 1970s, employed nearly 7,000 workers before the decline of Michigan’s automotive industry.
Read more on MLive:
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Gay bars once thrived in Saginaw, but none remain. LGBTQ+ advocates seek a revival.
Saginaw High School-adjacent neighborhood focus of planned clean-up project
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June 15, 2022 at 10:16PM
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Calculation error could cost Saginaw General Motors foundry $462K fine - MLive.com
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