Big Ox Energy – Siouxland LLC will work with the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Nebraska to prevent chemical releases after one of its employees was hospitalized in a 2016 incident at the Dakota City, Neb., biogas production and packaging facility. Some 26 households were also displaced after hydrogen sulfide associated with the facility entered the Dakota City sewer system. As a result of a settlement agreement between Big Ox Energy and EPA, the company came into compliance by conducting a hazard assessment and agreed to pay a civil penalty. Big Ox also entered into a settlement agreement with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) this past June concerning compliance with state air and water regulations. Inspections and air monitoring of the facility conducted by EPA, as well as a joint inspection conducted by EPA and NDEQ, revealed that Big Ox Energy was using biogas, methane and hydrogen sulfide in its processing, was emitting hydrogen sulfide from its facility, and failed to identify hazards using appropriate hazard assessment techniques as required by the Clean Air Act.
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