EPA fines Curtis Bay oil recycling facility $230,000 for air and water pollution

An oil recycling facility will pay a $230,000 penalty for pollution violations in South Baltimore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

Petroleum Recovery and Remediation Management, Inc. broke federal clean air and water laws while processing, recycling and disposing of waste oil material at its Curtis Bay location, according to a news release from the agency. The company also was operating bulk storage tanks that risked the emissions of a hazardous air pollutant, the statement said.

Following a settlement agreement, the facility now only stores used oils and diesel fuels, no longer receives volatile liquids and will not operate processing equipment that was the main cause of federal violations, according to the release.

Neither Petroleum Recovery and Remediation Management nor the EPA immediately responded to requests for comment Tuesday evening.

Several environmental concerns have been raised recently in South Baltimore, where the waterfront is heavily industrialized with some homes nearby.

Last month, Maryland filed a lawsuit against Curtis Bay Energy, a medical waste incinerator, over air pollution violations, a few months after issuing the company a large fine.

Meanwhile, the Curtis Bay neighborhood is covered in dangerous coal dust, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University, the state and several community groups. The report prompted a December town hall where residents called on the state to block the renewal of CSX’s license to run a coal terminal in the neighborhood.

And in December 2021, an explosion at the CSX coal piers rocked the neighborhood, shaking homes, shattering windows and sending a billowing cloud of smoke into the air. No injuries were reported from the blast. Since then, both MDE and the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration have taken action against CSX, imposing fines and setting requirements for improvements.