EPA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 12/19

This week, the EPA Enforcement Roundup returns for our final installment of 2017! This time around, the President of an environmental services firm In Pennsylvania faces criminal charges for illegal storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

See older weekly Roundups here.

In January 2017, EPA raised its fines for noncompliance with major environmental programs. We hope that providing information about EPA enforcement cases will help you identify and fix noncompliance issues that could leave your company facing costly penalties and future liability.
 

WHO: The president of an environmental services firm
WHERE: Chester County, PA
WHAT: Illegal RCRA hazardous waste storage
HOW MUCH: Up to $250,000 and/or 5 years in jail

For improperly storing and disposing of hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the president of an environmental services firm faces criminal charges.

According to metro Philadelphia news outlets, the company allegedly stored hundreds of brown bottles containing hazardous chemical waste contaminated with heavy metals in the basement of its facility “for decades.”

In addition, employees interviewed say they were directed to dispose of the waste by pouring it down the drain.

The maximum criminal penalty for violations of US hazardous waste law is $250,000 and up to five years in prison. Depending on which (or how many) criminal provisions of RCRA were potentially violated, the sentence may vary. 

WHO: A laundry company
WHERE: New Bedford, MA
WHAT: Clean Air Act violations
HOW MUCH: $200,000

A uniform and textiles rental and laundering facility open since 1959 has been cited by US EPA for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. According to EPA, laundered shop towels cleaned at the business often contained volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—a precursor to ground-level ozone—which were released into the air.

In 1998, the business installed new laundry equipment, but it did not install air pollution controls or apply for the proper Clean Air Act permit. As part of its agreement with EPA, the company will upgrade air emissions capturing and treatment equipment and conduct emissions testing. This is at least the sixth Clean Air Act enforcement action taken against laundry facilities in the past few years, EPA says.

WHO: A road materials manufacturer
WHERE: Redwood City, CA
WHAT: Clean Water Act stormwater violations
HOW MUCH: $102,051

 
For alleged violations of EPA’s stormwater discharge and oil pollution prevention requirements under the Clean Water Act, a California road materials company will pay a six-figure fine.

According to EPA’s enforcement report, the company failed to use best management practices to reduce stormwater runoff from its facilities. Industrial facilities that discharge stormwater associated with industrial activity typically must obtain an NPDES permit, follow strict requirements, and meet EPA recordkeeping requirements. 

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Tags: Act, Air, Clean, EPA, EPA Enforcement Roundup, fines and penalties, hazardous waste,, RCRA