The actions of a technician who fabricated data led to a $310,000 settlement of an air pollution complaint against a company that provides steam and electricity to the Celanese Acetate plant in Giles County.

DEGS of Narrows failed to properly maintain records from monitors that measured the amount of nitrogen oxides released from the plant, according to a civil complaint filed this week in U.S. District Court in Roanoke.

After discovering that a DEGS technician made up data that he entered into a mandatory record-keeping system, his superiors reported the case to environmental regulators, a spokesman for the company said.

The technician was fired. No motive for his actions was determined, said Dave Scanzoni of Duke Energy, the parent company of DEGS.

An investigation found no evidence that the record-keeping violations resulted in excessive emissions at the plant, Scanzoni and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials said.

The Celanese plant, a sprawling complex on the banks of the New River between Narrows and Pearisburg, makes materials used for cigarette filters and other products.

A settlement reached this week resolved violations that involved nitrogen oxide emissions from coal-fired boilers DEGS operated at the plant between 2003 and 2007.

Nitrogen oxide is a source of acid rain and also increases low-level ozone, which is an ingredient of smog. It can cause respiratory problems and complicate cases of childhood asthma.

Because the complaint dealt with both federal and state violations of the Clean Air Act, the $310,000 fine will be split evenly between the EPA and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

In addition to paying a fine, DEGS agreed to surrender 450 tons of nitrogen oxide allowances it had obtained through a cap-and-trade program. The program allows industries that meet government-enforced limits on emissions to sell their extra permits to those that don't.

Scanzoni said losing the allowances will not affect operations at the plant because the company has purchased additional credits to make up the difference.

Although not required by the settlement, DEGS has taken internal actions to ensure that valid data are provided.

"Accurately monitoring and reporting environmental information is a legal and public obligation," EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin said.