FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	ENR

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1998                                                                                                                          (202) 514-2008

                                                                                                                                                                                TDD (202) 514-1888







PETRO-CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER, UNOCAL, AGREES TO


MORE THAN $7 MILLION SETTLEMENT FOR VIOLATING


CLEAN AIR LAWS AT ALASKA PLANT





Must Take Action to Meet Federal and State Clean Air Standards








	WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Unocal, the California-based petroleum and
chemical manufacturer, today agreed to an environmental settlement
valued at more than $7 million to resolve allegations that its
Kenai, Alaska industrial ammonia and urea fertilizer production
plant violated the federal Clean Air Act by emitting illegal levels
of air pollutants, including particulates, carbon dioxide, and
other combustibles.

	Under the terms of the settlement, Unocal will pay a $550,000
civil penalty, spend more than $6.6 million dollars on a
Supplemental Environmental Project flare and scrubber system that
will significantly reduce ammonia emissions released from the
facility and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic releases into
the surrounding air.  Unocal also will monitor how well its
pollution control equipment is working.  

	"This settlement should go a long way towards helping make
sure Alaskans are breathing air that is safe and clean," said Lois
Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice
Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.  "The
Justice Department is committed to ensuring that no company has an
unfair advantage by failing to  make the investments necessary to
control pollution as required by law."

	In October 1997, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit in
U.S. District Court in Anchorage, on behalf of the Environmental
Protection Agency.  In the lawsuit, the Department alleged Unocal
violated Alaska's federally approved State Implementation Plan by
releasing air pollutants in levels above what is allowed by the
plant's Clean Air Act permits.  The State Implementation Plan,
developed by Alaska and approved by EPA, is designed to ensure the
State can meet federal air quality standards.

	The government's lawsuit also alleged that Unocal violated the
Clean Air Act's Prevention of Significant Deterioration program by
modifying its urea production facility without first obtaining
proper permits or installing the best available pollution control
equipment.  The Prevention of Significant Deterioration program is
designed to protect the air in those areas of the country, like
Kenai, that are meeting federal air quality standards.  The
settlement, if approved by the court, will resolve the government's
lawsuit. 

	Chuck Clark, EPA's Regional Administrator in Seattle said, "We
are pleased that Unocal is taking these steps to achieve greater
environmental benefits and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic
releases of ammonia to the Kenai community."

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