The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined Essroc Cement Corp. more than US$50,000 for air emission violations and failure to keep records of air monitors at its Lower Nazareth Township plant, according to a news release today.

According to the release from the DEP, Essroc did not meet its carbon monoxide emission limits on 72 days between July 1, 2006, and Sept. 30, 2009. The company also failed to meet its sulfur dioxide emission limits for 17 days between Oct. 1, 2008, and Sept. 30, 2009, the release says.

The company also had gaps in its records concerning emission monitors. The gaps were the result of defective parts and lightning strikes, which affected the monitors between July 2006 and December 2008. While monitors are required to run continuously, state regulations require that data covering either 90 percent of a monthly time period or 95 percent of a calendar quarter be recorded and retained.

"Essroc exceeded its permitted emission limits and failed to meet our requirements for making data available, which is important to ensure the company is following the limits we’ve imposed to protect air quality for everyone in the region," DEP Northeast Regional Director Michael Bedrin said in a statement.