EPA Settlement with Central Missouri AGRIService to Address Clean Water Act Violations at Construction Site in Marshall, Mo.
08/24/2016
Contact Information:
Chris Whitley (whitley.christopher@epa.gov)
913-551-7394
Environmental News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Lenexa, Kan., Aug. 24, 2016) - EPA Region 7 has reached a proposed settlement with Central Missouri AGRIService, LLC, concerning alleged Clean Water Act violations associated with construction of a railroad loop track and grain loading facility in Marshall, Mo. As part of the settlement, Central Missouri AGRIService has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $166,914 to the United States.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notified EPA Region 7 in July 2015 that Central Missouri AGRIService had discharged fill material into wetlands and streams without required authorization under the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Subsequently, EPA inspected the construction site in November 2015 to evaluate the company’s compliance with its stormwater permit, and found construction-related activities had occurred on nearly 60 acres of the 130-acre site. EPA’s inspection identified several CWA violations, including failure to timely develop a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), failure to develop an adequate SWPPP, failure to update the SWPPP, failure to implement the SWPPP, failure to install or implement adequate stormwater control measures, failure to perform and document stormwater self-inspections, and failure to notify on-site workers of the SWPPP. The violations resulted in sediment being discharged to unnamed tributaries to North Fork Finney Creek.
The CWA seeks to protect streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation’s water resources. Construction projects have a high potential for environmental harm because they disturb large areas of land and significantly increase the potential for erosion. The CWA requires construction sites to have controls in place to limit pollution discharged via stormwater into nearby waterways.
Without proper on-site pollution controls, stormwater runoff can carry pollutants into waterways and degrade water quality, threatening aquatic life and its habitat, and impairing the public’s use and enjoyment of waterways. Protecting streams and wetlands is also part of adapting to climate change impacts like drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures.
Following the EPA inspection, Central Missouri AGRIService took actions to address the observed stormwater violations. The company is also working with the Corps of Engineers to return the site to compliance with the CWA.
The proposed settlement with Central Missouri AGRIService is subject to a 40-day public comment period before it becomes final. Information on how to submit comments is available online.
=====================
Central Missouri AGRIService continues expansion project Monday, December 8, 2014
By Ashton Clark/Agriculture Reporter
(Sarah Reed/Democrat-News)
A new beginning is in store for Central Missouri AGRIService, in Marshall, and motorists on Route 240 have been able to see the changes from the comfort of their vehicles.
This past week, Jerry Young, a project manager on the expansion project, gave insight on the upcoming grain transport and storage system. It is expected to be ready for the 2015 fall harvest.
According to Young, General Manager John Fletcher worked on finding a way to keep up with the demand, and has been planning on adding a rail system and increased capacities for some time. Young came to work on the project in April 2013.
"It's all about transportation and the ability to get rail cars, the ability to ship grain," Young said. "As a shipper, the railroads are catering to the unit trains. For us to stay competitive and to be a viable shipper long term, we need to be able to load 100-car unit trains."
The proposed track is a 110-car track. It loops the tract of land skirted by Route 240 and U.S. Highway 65. Recently, crews with Wayne Brown Enterprises began excavating and moving dirt, and what looks like a considerably large depression in the earth will soon hold a new concrete base pit for shipping and receiving grain. The system will contain two receiving pits -- each with the ability to receive grain at 30,000 bushels per hour. From there, as much as 60,000 bushels per hour can be exported.
"We couldn't have done this alone," Young said, as he explained alliances that CMAS made with Wayne Brown Enterprises, WB Young Co., Marshall Municipal Utilities, Mike Mills with Marshall Electrical Contracting, and Kansas City Southern Railway.
Each company has put fourth effort for construction to come to fruition, and Young could not express enough his gratitude toward the men and women who have help them in the production.
===================
MFA Incorporated announces construction of rail facility near Hamilton, Mo.
Local News May 5, 2016
MFA Incorporated, a grain marketing and farm supply cooperative based in Columbia, Mo., recently announced a joint venture with MFA Oil Company, a farmer-owned energy supply cooperative, to build a shuttle-loader facility on the Union Pacific Railroad approximately 5 miles east of Hamilton, Mo. The grain-handling facility will consist of 2 million bushels of permanent storage and 1.5 million bushels of temporary storage along with a loop rail siding to accommodate a 110-railroad-car “shuttle” unit. Once completed, the structure will allow farmers in north central Missouri and southern Iowa to deliver crops to a modern, high-speed grain facility. Its rail siding capacity will provide new efficiencies to MFA Incorporated’s grain division as well as access to new markets.
“Logistics are a key issue in the grain business,” said MFA Incorporated Director of Grain Operations Mitch Dawson. “For MFA, this is the culmination of a multi-year process during which we evaluated the needs of our grain system. We identified this facility as a strategic improvement that will help us provide needed service to our owners and customers in a large part of our northern trade territory.”
Situated on Highway 36 in Caldwell County, Mo., the shuttle-loader facility will take advantage of an improved four-lane highway, close proximity to north-south traffic on Interstate 35 and direct access to the Union Pacific Railroad.
Adam McIntyre, regional manager for MFA locations in the area, sees the shuttle loader as a year-round asset for producers. “There is a lot of grain produced in north central and northwest Missouri, and harvest is a critical time for farmers. MFA’s investment in the shuttle loader will directly benefit farmers by providing them a place to unload quickly during peak harvest season. It also helps relieve harvest-time pressure on existing MFA grain receiving facilities throughout the region. During the high volume of harvest, we can move grain from smaller elevators to the shuttle loader to keep local storage capacity available. It will also be a great asset in the sense that the shuttle loader adds value to farms throughout the year as an additional marketing option for their grain.”
“Farmers favor facilities like this one because of the efficiency of large-capacity grain pits and high-speed conveyors to move the grain into storage,” said Dawson. “The facility is capable of moving 60,000 bushels per hour as farmers deliver grain. That means farmers will be able to unload as quickly as their trucks allow.”
A 110-car shuttle will hold approximately 420,000 bushels of corn or 380,000 bushels of soybeans. “Much of the grain will be sold to poultry markets in northwest Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas,” said Dawson. “Some new markets we can reach include terminal markets in Arizona, California and Mexico. The facility will also provide MFA an efficient means to deliver northwest Missouri and southwest Iowa grain to terminal markets in U.S. Gulf region.”
The joint venture between MFA Incorporated and MFA Oil Company brings resources and expertise from both cooperatives and a significant investment in local communities. The facility will be operated by MFA Incorporated and is expected to bring five full-time jobs as well as seasonal part-time jobs to the region.
“This is a unique opportunity to aid local farmers by improving the transportation infrastructure in northwest Missouri,” said Mark Fenner, President and CEO of MFA Oil. “We’re always looking for ways to support our existing customers and attract new ones and this joint venture with MFA Incorporated will help us do both.”
“The shuttle loader helps fulfill our mission,” said Ernie Verslues, President and CEO of MFA Incorporated. “MFA was formed more than 100 years ago to address a lack of buying power and market access for farmers. We still take that mission seriously. This facility fits MFA’s vision to grow in strategic, profitable ways that enhance the economic well-being of our member/owners,” he said.