Efforts on for permanent closure of Exide’s Vernon battery recycling plant

LOS ANGELES (Scrap Monster): Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina expressed hopes that the battery recycling plant of Exide in Vernon will be shut down permanently. The matter would be brought to the notice of the Board of Supervisors. The supervisor urged county attorneys to explore possible legal options to force shutdown of the plant.

Earlier in March, the company was notified by the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) for violating standards at its Vernon lead smelter facility. According to the agency, the company had violated the Clean Air Act on not less than 30 occasions between September and April. According to the EPA authorities, the lead emission from the facility exceeded federal limits, ranking Exide as the top lead polluter in California.

Although Exide argued that lead in nearby homes might have come from other sources, the company had agreed to make enhancements at its Vernon facility as per the new air quality standards announced by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). As per order, the company is not allowed to reopen the facility unless it installs additional equipment to meet newly adopted AQMD standards.

The investigation by grand federal jury on the plant is currently under process.

Exide Technologies is one of the major players in the battery recycling industry. The Vernon facility was in operation 1922.