NEW ALBANY, Ind. — A New Albany company is facing several violations after a third chemical leak since March.
People spotted a massive plume of yellow and orange smoke rising from the Blue Grass Chemical Specialties off Mt. Tabor Road Thursday afternoon.
According to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the plant failed to control the n-o-x emissions in March and June.
IDEM report says more than 280 pounds of the gas was released into the air. It also notes Blue Grass Chemical's executive vice president said there was "poor or no communication" between shifts.
IDEM required an action letter from the facility detailing how they will fix the problems.
"These emissions are alarming," Mayor Jeff Gahan said. "They disrupt traffic, panic residents, and force emergency personnel to respond."
In a social media post, the plant's president, Matt Brenner, has committed to "voluntarily shut down all of the affected processes and will not operate them again until the root cause of the emission is found and internal processes are changed to ensure that this does not happen again."
EMA Director, Kent Barrow Blue Grass Chemicals also brought in a chemist to help is under investigation by IDEM.
All employees at Blue Grass Chemical were evacuated from the building, the release said, and shelter-in-place orders were made for surrounding areas of the chemical release.
Authorities said the chemical release stopped at 3:40 p.m., and shelter in place orders were removed and the all-clear was given at 4:15 p.m.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has been notified of the situation.
The release states all local agencies will stay in contact with the IDEM and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to make sure the chemical releases are "handled appropriately."
There are no injuries reported at this time.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.