FORT COLLINS, Colo — Anheuser-Busch will pay $537,000 and be required to complete a safety review of 11 of its breweries, including the one in Fort Collins, as part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA announced the settlement Monday. They said it resolves violations of the Clean Air Act’s chemical accident prevention requirements and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
The beermaker will be required to "implement a comprehensive safety review of all eleven of its breweries that use anhydrous ammonia," including facilities in New Hampshire, California, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Florida, New York, Virginia, Georgia and Missouri.
According to a news release, between 2016 and 2019, the EPA conducted inspections at three of Anheuser-Busch’s facilities, including the one in Fort Collins. The EPA also investigated an ammonia release that happened in 2018 at the Fort Collins facility, injuring two employees.
“This settlement with Anheuser-Busch sends a clear message to companies that store hazardous materials like anhydrous ammonia that they have an obligation to follow regulations designed to protect our communities and environment from potentially catastrophic consequences of accidents,” EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker said in the news release. “Failure to comply with the law puts first responders and members of the surrounding community in harm’s way.”
The EPA said under the settlement, Anheuser-Busch must hire an outside expert to conduct a safety review at each of its 11 breweries that use anhydrous ammonia, and develop and implement corrective action plans based on those reviews.
According to the release, the EPA's inspections of the three facilities found "failure to comply with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices."
The EPA said anhydrous ammonia must be handled with care because it is corrosive to skin, eyes and lungs.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
