ENVIRONMENT

Shell Chemical Agrees to Pay Penalties Related to Explosion: The division of Shell Oil Co., the U.S. arm of Royal/Dutch Shell Group, agreed to pay $3.02 million in penalties to settle charges related to a fatal explosion at an Ohio plant, the Labor Department said. Shell Chemical Co. also agreed to make significant improvements at its Belpre, Ohio, facility, where an explosion killed three workers on May 27, said the department’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration unit. OSHA said it would issue citations against Shell and that the company has agreed not to contest them. “We are very pleased that Shell has agreed to resolve this matter as quickly as possible in order to ensure maximum protection for its employees,” Labor Secretary Robert Reich said. Shell said it disputed many of the allegations but that it decided to settle the charges to avoid a costly and prolonged legal battle.