[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens and Attorney General Goddard Announce $10, 000 Penalty Against Granite Express, LLC for Air Quality Violations at its Phoenix Facility

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens and Attorney General Goddard Announce $10,000
Penalty Against Granite Express, LLC for Air Quality Violations at its
Phoenix Facility

PHOENIX  (Jan. 15, 2009) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director Steve Owens and Attorney General Terry Goddard announced today
that Granite Express, LLC will pay $10,000 under a consent judgment with
ADEQ for air quality violations at the company's facility at 7th Street
and Happy Valley in Phoenix, including failure to control dust
emissions.

Granite Express crushes and screens rock for decorative and landscaping
purposes, and uses portable equipment throughout Arizona. In April 2005,
ADEQ inspected the company's facility at 7th Street and Happy Valley in
response to a complaint from the Maricopa County Air Quality Department.
ADEQ found that the company failed to install a baghouse on its
equipment to control dust emissions and that unfiltered dust was venting
directly to the atmosphere. 

ADEQ issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) in May 2005, but found during an
inspection that August that while the company did install a baghouse, it
failed to install the filter bags that the baghouse needs to control
dust emissions. In addition, ADEQ found that the company exceeded its
approved hours of operation on several days during the summer of 2005. 

In September 2005, during a third inspection, ADEQ found the filters
still missing from the baghouse. Also, a device that minimizes
particulate emissions from the baghouse was not plugged in. A second NOV
was issued that month. In addition, the company operated the equipment,
and a facility near Wickenburg, without the necessary permits. ADEQ
issued a second NOV in September 2005. Granite Express showed that it
had the necessary equipment and permits as of Oct. 12, 2005.

"Granite Express's failure to properly maintain its particulate-control
device in a manner that prevents excess fugitive dust emissions
increased public exposure to harmful dust emissions," Director Owens
said. 

"Environmental enforcements such as this are critical for protecting
Arizona citizens' health and quality of life," Goddard said. "I
appreciate the great work done on this case by Director Owens and the
staff at my office and ADEQ. I am committed to enforcing the law and
ensuring that Arizona's natural resources are managed with care."

The consent judgment is subject to court approval.

-30-

News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov

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