Citgo Settles with Attorney General on Lemont Emissions

Citgo, the downstream subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, said it has reached a settlement with the Illinois Attorney General on alleged air violations at its Lemont refinery. Citgo will pay out US$120,000 civil penalties and undertake several corrective measures at the refinery, Citgo said in a statement, explaining that all but one of the measures was completed before the Attorney General issued its complaint. The complaints were made after an emissions release in January 1999. "We have already taken steps to ensure that such an incident does not happen again," Citgo VP and general manager Mark Smith said. "The one remaining corrective action requires a significant equipment upgrade that will further reduce the likelihood of such a release," he said. "This will be completed during the next major refinery shutdown."