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US - Ohio EPA says Columbus Steel Castings has failed to fix air pollution problems

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Columbus Steel Castings has failed to follow through on a court-ordered plan to identify and fix air pollution problems at its South Side foundry, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency officials said today.

The EPA took the foundry, which makes metal parts for rail cars, to court in June 2008 over air pollution violations that included excessive smoke and dust at its plant at 2211 Parsons Ave.

In April, Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Harlan H. Hale ordered the company to conduct an audit of air pollution issues and eliminate those problems by Nov. 18.

A Nov. 23 letter from the Ohio EPA accuses the company of failing to meet nine requirements of the order, saying they "were either completely unaddressed, were seriously deficient or lack adequate technical support or documentation."

Adam Ward, an Ohio EPA air manager, said the agency will meet with the Ohio Attorney General's office to discuss how to make the foundry comply. This might include further court action and fines.

Robert Brubaker, an attorney for the foundry, also called Buckeye Steel, said the company believes it has met the terms of the order and plans to explain its interpretation of what it was required to do to the EPA.

"That company is working hard to make improvements at the plant," Brubaker said.

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