DA's Office Retracts Erroneous Info

The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has issued a retraction of information regarding . and Santa Monica Baykeeper are two of many organizations set to benefit from the settlement, although it isn't yet clear how much money the nonprofits will receive.

On Monday, the office informed media outlets it had erroneously stated that a shredding plant was owned and operated by Hugo Neu Corp. during the time of an explosion on May 22, 2007. The office had also said the plant was bought by SA Recycling in September 2007.

The company was actually owned and operated by Sims Hugo Neu West, a subsidiary of Sims Group Limited, when the explosion took place at the Terminal Island plant.

The blast destroyed pollution-control equipment, after which toxins—coarse particulate matter, including lead dust—allegedly went into the air. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office subsequently filed suit, and on Aug. 31, SA Recycling LLC agreed to a $2.9 million settlement.

Sims Group Limited "acquired substantially all of the recycling operations" of Hugo Neu Corp. in October 2005, according to the retraction. In December of that year, Sims Group applied for a subsidiary name change from Hugo Neu-Proler to Sims Hugo Neu West. In June 2007, Sims Group merged the metal recycling operations with Adams Steel, creating SA Recycling, LLC.

As part of the settlement, SA Recycling LLC—which continues to deny that any violations occurred—also agreed to pay $690,000 in civil fines and for investigative expenses. SA Recycling will reportedly install a new system intended to minimize emissions. The system will be installed at the company's facilities in San Pedro, as well as Orange and Kern counties.