Dyno-Nobel Inc, Anhydrous Ammonia Vapor Release, Delaware 2018

Dyno-Nobel, Inc. is going down for playing Russian roulette with public safety. On Friday, February 23, 2018, the Delaware-based chemical giant pleaded guilty in federal court to violating Section 103(b) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) — a Class-E felony — after pumping more than six tons of anhydrous ammonia vapor into the air near St. Helens, Oregon. The discharges, which occurred over three days starting July 30, 2015, were not reported to federal authorities for over a week, despite immediate health impacts on nearby residents.

The St. Helens urea-manufacturing plant, operated by Dyno-Nobel, Inc., became a silent hazard zone as failed restart attempts triggered uncontrolled ammonia releases. Residents of Columbia City, just miles away, flooded local lines with reports of burning eyes, respiratory distress, and a suffocating stench that clung to homes and streets. The chemical plume didn’t just poison the air — it exposed a deeper rot: corporate indifference. Dyno-Nobel personnel knew emissions were spiking but sat on the information, violating the federal mandate to report hazardous releases “immediately” to the National Response Center. The first call wasn’t made until August 7, 2015 — eight days too late.

Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, didn’t mince words: “Many of the nation’s environmental laws exist specifically to minimize the dangers essential industries pose to surrounding communities.” He called the conviction a warning shot across the bow of any company tempted to skirt reporting rules. “This criminal conviction will serve as an important reminder that the EPA and the United States Attorney’s Office will work together to ensure that violations of those laws do not go unpunished.”

For Jeanne Proctor, EPA’s Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Investigation Division in Seattle, the delay wasn’t just a paperwork failure — it was a betrayal. “Not only did this defendant release over six tons of anhydrous ammonia, impacting the neighboring community, they impeded response actions by failing to report the release,” Proctor said. “EPA will not tolerate this blatant disregard for public safety.” The agency’s investigation peeled back layers of operational negligence and willful silence.

Dyno-Nobel, a wholly owned subsidiary of IPL Group, entered its guilty plea through Senior Vice President and Secretary Jeff Droubay at the hearing before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon. The plea agreement proposes a $250,000 criminal fine and two years of probation — a sentence the court may still reject or modify. As part of the probation, the company must implement new monitoring systems to detect and measure future emissions, a remedial fix for a failure that should’ve never happened.

The case was investigated by the EPA’s Criminal Investigations Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan W. Bounds and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla Gebel Perrin. No individuals were charged — only the corporation. But the record is clear: Dyno-Nobel gambled with lives, broke the law, and now wears the conviction like a scar. The air near St. Helens may have cleared, but the stench of negligence lingers.

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