Pacific Steel Casting and Communities for a Better Environment reach agreement.

Pacific Steel Casting (PSC), Berkeley, Calif., and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), Oakland, Calif., have consented to an agreement that will result in specified emissions reductions, a scrap metal inspection program and a consultation committee to recommend and oversee ongoing pollution reduction efforts at the steel metalcasting facility.

The consent decree was the result of a lawsuit filed by CBE last year, which accused the 73-year-old employer of more than 600 union workers of emitting an excessive amount of pollutants.

"This agreement will result in real, on the ground emissions reductions, will keep community members at the center of defining community needs, forge a meaningful relationship between environmental justice and labor, and create the opening for a long term process to tackle a complex set of issues with business," said Adrienne Bloch, senior attorney for CBE. "This is a great first step that we feel extremely positive about."

The agreement requires PSC to implement a plan for selection and inspection of the materials in the scrap metal it buys that is melted and formed into castings. The goal is to reduce organic contaminants in the scrap supply through notification of scrap suppliers and regular inspections.

The consent decree also requires PSC to create a reserve fund of $350,000 for selected projects that achieve reductions in emissions levels at the facility. The emissions reduction projects would be required to generate at least two tons of reductions in particulate matter, hazardous air pollutants or volatile organic compounds.

The agreement lastly establishes a Joint Consultation Committee, comprised of individuals from CBE, PSC and GMP Local 164B, which will meet quarterly to recommend expenditures from the reserve fund to reduce emissions.

The agreement allows inspections of PSC by CBE, or its consultant, of the scrap metal operations or emissions mitigation projects that commence as a result of this agreement. The consent decree expires when funds placed in the reserve fund are depleted or after three years, whichever comes first.

The consent decree does not take effect until approved by the court after the expiration of a 45 day period of review by the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.