Search

EPA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 2/3

Posted on 2/3/2025 by Lion Technology Inc.

The EPA Enforcement Roundup gives you insight into how and why US EPA and State partners assess penalties for environmental noncompliance.

All violations or claims discussed below are alleged only unless we say otherwise, and we withhold the names of organizations and individuals to protect their privacy.

An Illinois-based waste company will pay $9.5M to resolve alleged hazardous waste violations nationwide.

US EPA and the Department of Justice announced an agreed settlement with a hazardous waste management company for alleged “systemic, nationwide violations” of the RCRA hazardous waste regulations over a period of several years.

The Agency states that the company failed to:
  • Properly manage hazardous waste.
  • Accurately maintain required manifest records when transporting hazardous waste.
  • Timely submit information for thousands of manifests to the e-Manifest system.
The settlement requires payment of a $9.5 million civil penalty, one of the largest civil penalties ever paid for RCRA violations. The company “largely ceased managing hazardous waste” in the US back in 2020 but is accountable for these alleged violations that occurred before that cessation.


An Oregon petroleum distribution and storage company paid an $87,700 penalty to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations.

During an inspection, Agency officials allegedly found violations of the Clean Water Act’s Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations, which require facilities to prepare and implement a plan to protect local waterways and shorelines from the discharge of oil.

Federal inspectors found that the company failed to:
  • Ensure that the facility’s diagrams match the actual facility layout.
  • Maintain adequate secondary containment in the event of a spill.
  • Have inspection records for oil-water separators used as spill prevention equipment at the facility.
  • Include routine periodic leak testing procedures for underground oil piping in the facility’s plan.


A New Mexico refinery must implement compliance measures at an estimated cost of $137M to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations.

The refinery allegedly failed to comply with “a wide range” of regulations that cover flaring, fenceline monitoring of benzene emissions, wastewater, storage vessels, leak detection and repair, and heat exchanger leaks.

Under the settlement, the refinery must pay a civil penalty of $35 million—half to the US, and half to New Mexico.

Including reductions already achieved in response to EPA’s investigations, the compliance measures are projected to achieve reductions of 180 tons per year of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), 2,716 tons per year of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 51 tons per year of NOx, and 31 tons per year of sulfur dioxide.


Complete Environmental Regulations Training

Want a clearer idea of how major EPA air, water, and chemical programs all fit together to affect your site's activities? Join in on the next Complete Environmental Regulations Webinar on January 30–31 at Lion.com.

EH&S professionals who attend can identify the regulations that apply to their facility and locate key requirements to achieve compliance with the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to EPCRA, TSCA, Superfund, and more. Prefer to train at your own pace? Try the interactive online course.

Tags: Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, EPA Enforcement Roundup, hazardous waste management

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

I like Lion's workshops the best because they really dig into the information you need to have when you leave the workshop.

Tom Bush, Jr.

EHS Manager

Best course instructor I've ever had. Funny, relatable, engaging; made it interesting and challenged us as the professionals we are.

Amanda Schwartz

Environmental Coordinator

I like the consistency of Lion workshops. The materials are well put together and instructors are top notch!

Kevin Pylka

Permitting, Compliance & Environmental Manager

Lion courses always set the bar for content, reference, and practical application. Membership and access to the experts is an added bonus.

John Brown, CSP

Director of Safety & Env Affairs

Lion was very responsive to my initial questions and the website was user friendly.

Michael Britt

Supply Chain Director

Very well structured, comprehensive, and comparable to live training seminars I've participated in previously. I will recommend the online course to other colleagues with training requirement needs.

Neil Luciano

EHS Manager

More thorough than a class I attended last year through another company.

Troy Yonkers

HSES Representative

This course went above my expectations from the moment I walked in the door. The instructor led us through two days packed with useful compliance information.

Rachel Stewart

Environmental Manager

Well designed and thorough program. Excellent summary of requirements with references. Inclusion of regulations in hard copy form, as well as full electronic with state pertinent regulations included is a great bonus!

Oscar Fisher

EHS Manager

Lion Technology workshops are amazing!! You always learn so much, and the instructors are fantastic.

Dorothy Rurak

Environmental Specialist

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Use this guide as a quick reference to the most common HAZWOPER questions, and get course recommendations for managers and personnel who are in need of OSHA-required HAZWOPER training.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.