ExxonMobil has agreed to reduce air pollution at refinery near Chicago

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FILE PHOTO: The logo of Exxon Mobil Corporation is shown on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, December 30, 2015./File Photo

ExxonMobil has reached an agreement with U.S. and Illinois regulators to reduce air pollution at its refinery near Chicago in Joliet, Illinois, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

The consent decree, which will require ExxonMobil to make operational changes to its sulfur recovery plant to reduce emissions, marks yet another sign that the Biden administration will be flexing its muscles in an effort to crack down on big polluters.

It comes less than a month after the Environmental Protection Agency revoked an expansion permit for the Limetree Bay oil refinery in the Virgin Islands, amid concerns about the facility’s impact on air pollution.

Under the settlement with ExxonMobil, the company has agreed to pay more than $1.5 million in penalties, a little over $1 million of which will go to the federal government. The remainder will be paid to Illinois.

It will also undertake an estimated $10 million of improvements to reduce air emissions, the Justice Department said.