Sunoco in Marcus Hook fined for polluting air

Sunoco Refining and Marketing has agreed to pay $130,000 in civil penalties for air quality violations at its refinery in Marcus Hook, Delaware County.

In incidents related to a string of equipment failures — boiler malfunctions, compressor and instrument failures, a cooling system leak and flare light problems — the facility emitted pollutants beyond its permit limits.

The incidents occurred between January and September, 2009. The chemicals included carbon monixide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, butane and propane.

Joseph A. Feola, southeast regional director of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said that Sunoco had corrected the equipment failures.

Before the current agreement, Environmental Protection Agency compliance records show that the facility faced 12 formal enforcement actions related to air emissions over the past five years, for total penalties of $2,908,955.