Safety first — especially around the handling of flammable substances that are released into Hawaii’s environment.

The Gas Company has been fined $230,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency, and under an agreement will make changes to improve safety and correct deficiencies at its synthetic natural gas facility in Kapolei. A January 2020 inspection revealed violations of the Clean Air Act’s chemical release prevention and reporting requirements. Among the company’s upcoming fixes: modifying equipment and training maintenance workers.