An ethanol production plant has been fined for illegally disposing industrial waste on its Shelby Plant.
The fine stems from a 2013 investigation into illegal activities at Western New York Energy by the Department of Conservation and the Police's Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation unit.
The investigation found that WNYE and Hydro-Klean, a company that specializes in industrial cleaning operations, were disposing industrial wastes generated during bi-annual plant cleanings.
WNYE processes corn into fuel grade ethanol, and high pressure water is used to clean burned corn out of the evaporators used in production, according to the DEC. The resulting waste was then loaded into a vacuum truck and taken behind the facility where it was dumped into the ground.
The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General's office. Hydro-Klean plead guilty in the Town of Shelby Court in August 2015 to the unlawful disposal of industrial wastes and was fined $50,000. On January 14, the Town of Shelby Court sentenced WNYE to pay $87,000 for violating the State Environmental Conservation Law.
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