Завод Century Aluminum получил разрешение на расширение производства на фоне истории нарушений и двух смертей сотрудников

Two deaths, years of violations: Century Aluminum still allowed to expand GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) — For years, neighbors near a Goose Creek aluminum manufacturer have complained about dust, fumes, and unanswered questions about their air and now, documents show a history of serious violations. A Live 5 Investigates review of state and federal records found the Mt. Holly Century Aluminum plant has racked up millions in fines, two worker deaths and years of environmental violations, even as the company just expanded production by 25%. “This could have been avoided” It was 2001 when Dennis Willis met Naomi Cleaton while working at the aluminum-manufacturing plant Alumax, now known as Century Aluminum. “I met her and fell in love with her. It was love at first sight,” Willis said. “We were waiting for her to retire so we could just enjoy each other, enjoy life and help raise our grandchildren. I miss her very much.” The two quickly began a life together and settled down in Moncks Corner while continuing to work at the plant before Willis retired. And Cleaton was next, looking to retire within the year, but in December 2020 that dream was quickly taken away from her. “The lady said, ‘I don’t know how to tell you, but your wife got killed at Century Aluminum today,’ and I said, ‘No, not my wife, no,’” Willis said An OSHA report stated Cleaton was walking through the plant when a forklift hit and ran over her. Cleaton died at Century Aluminum, suffering a crushing injury to the head. “The person that was in the truck was looking straight ahead and could see it before it happened and then she ran over her, and instead of stopping, she backed back over her,” Willis said. “It was devastating.” OSHA’s investigation found conflicting accounts about who had the right of way, the forklift or Cleaton. “My wife said about a month before all this thing happened, somebody’s going to get killed out there, somebody was going to get real hurt, not knowing it was going to be her,” Willis said. OSHA fined Century Aluminum $4,500 after the driver failed to keep a clear view of their path of travel. “This could have been avoided,” Willis said. “All this stuff didn’t have to happen, but the things that Century Aluminum did, and the things they didn’t do, caused this to happen to my wife for her to leave here, to leave me, his son, our grandkids.” High priority violator Cleaton’s death was not the only one as another tragedy happened at Century Aluminum in 2024. Daniel McCoy fell 15 feet to his death when his lift tipped over during maintenance. OSHA records show a pattern of injuries at the plant, including an amputation, fractures and burns. In a letter to the manufacturer, OSHA investigators said, “it’s very concerning that additional employees at your worksite are at risk of being injured.” “It sounds like they’re not protecting their employees and in turn, they’re not protecting their community,” Alenda Wiesand, who lives near the plant, said. “It does concern me that I live this close to a plant that obviously has some serious internal issues that they’re not taking accountability for.” And the plant’s impacts go far beyond those who work inside… Environmental Chemical Engineer Ron Sahu analyzed the findings from the Environmental Protection Agency, which states Century Aluminum has violated the Clean Air Act every year since 2018. “They are a high priority violator, which is not a good thing,” Sahu said. “So what it tells me is they have had difficulty coming back into compliance even knowing that it has been going on for three years now.” EPA records show the plant releases thousands of pounds of chemicals into the air each year, including high levels of fluoride and aluminum dust. “There’s a reason we regulate air pollutants because they’re not good for us in terms of our health and you only get one health in life, okay? And you don’t get like a do-over,” Sahu said. “It was kind of odd that all of a sudden, I got asthma and now it’s exacerbated to the point where there are times I have coughing fits, my eyes water, things like that,” Wiesand said. Goose Creek neighbors felt the impact directly in 2023, when the plant released alumina dust into their neighborhood. “It looks like someone has taken baby powder and just shook it all over the cars,” Jackie Davis, who lives near the plant, told Live 5 Investigates in 2023. “It’s gritty - it’s baking into our cars.” A class-action settlement paid more than 700 homeowners a total of $944,000 worth of damages. “Nobody seems to care about the residents and we don’t even know how far out this affects people,” Wiesand said. Millions of dollars in fines, plant expansion In March 2025, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services fined the plant a third of a million dollars for exceeding emission limits over a dozen times. But the total dollar amount in fines is even higher than that… Century Aluminum has paid more than $6.2 million since 2022 for dozens of violations according to the EPA’s website. Just last month, the plant expanded its production by 25%, now producing more than 10%of the nation’s aluminum. Century Aluminum’s CEO Jesse Gary was asked by a Live 5 Reporter at the expansion press event about the EPA violations and fines. “Part of the investment we’re making here today to ensure that never happens again, so we’re quite confident that we fix that issue and will be a problem for the community,” Gary said. When Live 5 Investigates asked for a formal interview regarding our findings and specific concerns, we were denied. Sahu and Wiesand were asked if they were concerned about the plant’s expansion. “Yes, it does,” Sahu replied. “It shouldn’t require an expert opinion to realize that when you’re having trouble meeting compliance with lower production, it’s not going to become easier with higher production.” “Why are they allowed to do this without fixing what’s already been happening?” Wiesand asked. But Century Aluminum is still operating while violating state and federal standards, six years after Naomi Cleaton died at the plant. “I just want them to be accountable for their actions,” Willis said. “She brought a happiness to me in my life that I hadn’t experienced in a lifetime. She brought peace to me; she brought the best out of me.” “She was everything I was looking for and I was looking to spend the rest of my life with her,” he said. Century Aluminum, EPA, SCDES responses Live 5 Investigates interview and tour request to Century Aluminum were denied. The plant released the following statement: At Century Aluminum, safety is our number one priority. Century Aluminum Mt. Holly worked closely with the state and federal regulatory agencies to ensure that historical compliance issues were addressed at the time. Having implemented changes and improvements a number of years ago, we take compliance with all federal and state workplace regulations very seriously. With regard to environmental compliance, Century Aluminum is working closely with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services and local officials to support the compliance of our Mt. Holly operations. Over the past several years, Century Mt. Holly has invested millions of dollars in equipment upgrades and expanded employee environmental health and safety training to better protect its team and the surrounding community. Environmental equipment upgrades were part of the historic $50+ million investment in Century Mt. Holly that was celebrated and discussed with members of the media, including WCSC, at an on-site event July 27, 2026. Century is proud to employ more than 600 South Carolinians with wages that nearly double the state average at more than $100,000, which also creates hundreds more indirect jobs in Berkeley County and the region. This produces nearly $1 billion in economic activity in South Carolina each year. The Mt. Holly expansion is part of our effort to revive domestic production of a critical metal, a national priority that supports everyday life and national defense. The EPA and SCDES were both asked how Century Aluminum was allowed to expand while still violating state and federal standards. The agencies responded with the following statements: On June 26, 2024, the EPA conducted a hazardous waste compliance evaluation inspection of Century Aluminum of South Carolina’s Goose Creek, South Carolina facility. The EPA is evaluating the inspection findings and does not comment on active or pending enforcement matters. The Clean Air Act (CAA) establishes the authority for the EPA to regulate air pollutants to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment. However, the EPA authorizes the state and local agencies to conduct the day-to-day program implementation of the CAA requirements while the EPA provides oversight of that administration. The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SC DES) implements and enforces CAA major source permitting for the Century Aluminum Goose Creek facility. SCDES issued Century Aluminum a Consent Order in March 2025 to address violations identified at the facility. Century Aluminum took the necessary actions required under that Consent Order, and the order has since been closed. There are no outstanding requirements associated with the March 2025 Consent Order, and all penalties assessed under the order have been paid. Since that time, SCDES has identified potential new violations at the facility involving activity in 2025 and 2026. The agency is pursuing these matters through its standard enforcement process. Because SCDES does not comment on pending or active enforcement matters, we cannot provide additional details regarding those potential violations at this time. SCDES can provide the final outcome once the enforcement process is complete. Regarding permit suspension or revocation, there is no specific regulatory threshold that automatically requires SCDES to suspend or revoke an air permit because a violation has occurred. Permit suspension and revocation are severe sanctions generally reserved for circumstances in which traditional remedies for addressing a facility’s noncompliance, such as civil administrative enforcement, are unavailable or have been exhausted. SCDES has not received any permit applications or issued any new air permits specifically related to an expansion of Century Aluminum’s operating capacity. The facility’s existing permits account for operations at varying operating and production levels. SCDES is currently reviewing three permit applications for the facility: one concerning an adjustment to the sulfur content of blended coke used in forming anodes, one for a related Title V operating permit modification, and one for renewal of the facility’s Title V operating permit. These applications are not related to an expansion or increase in the facility’s production capability. A facility’s past enforcement history does not make it ineligible to receive future air permits or permit modifications. Any new permit application must undergo SCDES’ review process and demonstrate that the proposed operations can meet all applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Regarding the information displayed in EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database, some additional context may be helpful. The Aug. 20, 2026, date displayed in ECHO represents the date SCDES reviewed the facility’s most recent Title V Annual Compliance Certification report. Additionally, the term “High Priority Violation” is defined by EPA policy. The $383,500 displayed in ECHO represents the total penalties assessed by SCDES over the past five years, all of which have been paid. SCDES is currently pursuing enforcement related to potential violations occurring in 2025 and 2026, which appear to be reflected in ECHO as unresolved violations. This is separate from the March 2025 Consent Order, which has been closed following Century Aluminum’s compliance with the requirements of that order. Copyright 2026 WCSC. All rights reserved.