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EPA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 12/20

Posted on 12/20/2016 by Lauren Scott

Every day, facilities all across America receive Notices of Violation from US EPA for alleged noncompliance with a wide variety of programs like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, chemical management and reporting regulations, hazardous waste management and disposal standards, and much more.

EPA raised its maximum civil penalties in 2016, making it more critical than ever that EHS professionals understand how these complex regulatory programs affect their facilities. We hope providing information about EPA enforcement cases will help you identify and fix noncompliance issues that could leave your company facing down costly penalties and future liability.
 

Who: Two building materials manufacturing facilities 
Where: Norwood and Worcester, MA
What: Clean Water Act violations
How Much:  $250,000 combined

Two subsidiaries of a global build materials firm will pay $250,000 for allegedly failing to comply with Federal discharge permits and Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations  under the Clean Water Act, In addition, EPA says, one of the facility discharged a harmful amount of oil into a nearby river.  

US Environmental Protection Agency enforcement logo

New Online Course! This week, Lion launched the
Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act Regulations Online Course. Get up to date on the US EPA water regulations that affect your facility, and know how to keep your site in compliance.  
 

Who: An agricultural company
Where: Kauai, Hawaii
What: Violations of FIFRA pesticides regulations
How Much: $4.8 million

US EPA is seeking $4,800,000 in civil penalties from a multinational agriculture company that produces chemicals and seeds. In a press release on EPA.gov, EPA alleges that the company violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) when workers entered a field sprayed with restricted-use pesticides without being notified by the employer. The workers had no personal protective equipment (PPE), the required waiting period had not passed, and the employer did not provide adequate decontamination supplies onsite.

Of the 19 workers that entered the field, 10 were hospitalized.
 

More EPA Enforcement Actions

Want more EPA enforcement news? Subscribe to Lion News to get the EPA Enforcement Roundup delivered to your inbox once a week.  In addition to today’s featured enforcement actions, a major tech company was fined $450,000 for hazardous waste violations in California earlier this month. Read about that RCRA enforcement case here.
 

Complete EPA Regulations Workshops – 2017 Schedule Now Available!


Managing site compliance with the many complex EPA programs that affect your business—from the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to TSCA, FIFRA, EPCRA, and more—is a major challenge. If you’re new to the field, or need an update on changing EPA rules, the Complete Environmental Regulations Workshop will help you identify the requirements that apply to your facility and make decisions that put your team in a position to succeed.

Planning for next year? The 2017 schedule is available now and includes a workshop in our new Environmental Training Center in Sparta, NJ! Register to receive a full year of Lion Membership for complete on-the-job compliance support. 

Tags: Act, Clean, EPA, EPA Enforcement Roundup, FIFRA, fines and penalties, Water

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