According to Alaska Public Media, a seafood processing plant has been forced to pay $3.2 million for violating air pollution regulations.
Eight years ago, employees at Westward Seafoods in Unalaska turned off air pollution controls and falsified records to cover their tracks.
The settlement reached last Thursday with the Environmental Protection Agency requires Westward to install a new electronic monitoring system and spend $1.1 million on air pollution reduction projects and over $800,000 on other injunctive relief. The company will also pay a $1.3 million civil penalty. The state of Alaska, a co-plaintiff in the case, will receive $228,000 of the civil penalty.
Denise Koch, director of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Air Quality, said in a statement:
Air permits are put into place to protect air quality and public health. Turning off pollution controls and falsifying records are serious violations.
The fishing industry not only endangers the environment, but is incredibly cruel. Like dogs and cats, fish can suffer immensely. A Mercy For Animals undercover investigation at a fish slaughter facility uncovered fish being skinned alive.
Watch.
The best thing we can do to remove our support from the unsustainable, unhealthy, and cruel fishing industry is to leave fish off our plates and switch to a compassionate vegan diet.
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