Carthage, Nixon drop lawsuit against plant

The city and Nixon’s office filed a joint lawsuit against the Carthage plant in April 2005 asking it to reduce odors emitted in its oil production; RES creates renewable diesel fuel from animal byproducts. The company has invested $3 million in a thermal oxidizer and a higher-efficiency scrubber and made a “tangible improvement in the quality of the life for those who live near RES,” according to a statement from Nixon and the city.

“We were not trying to bankrupt the company; we were trying to operate in a neighborly manner,” said Carthage Mayor Jim Woestman, adding that only 16 odor complaints have been filed against RES in the last 120 days. “They were getting (complaints) daily.”

The decision to drop the suit was received well at RES, where efforts continue to regulate its odor emission.

“Obviously we are pleased and continue to be vigilant, modifying our systems to improve their performance and take care of any unexpected problems as needed," said RES plant manager Don Sanders in a statement.  "We intend to not only be a good neighbor but to earn their trust and respect."

RES reached a settlement in June with the state to pay $100,000 in civil penalties for violating odor regulation laws, in addition to $25,000 per odor control violation that may occur in the next two years. The per-violation penalties cannot exceed $75,000.