EPA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 4/30

Every day, facilities across the US 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 (TSCA, EPCRA, CERCLA, etc.), hazardous waste management and disposal standards (RCRA), and much more.

Below are examples of recent EPA enforcement actions that provide insight into how and why EPA issues civil penalties to facilities for environmental noncompliance. Names of companies and individuals cited by EPA are withheld to protect their privacy.

WHO: A multinational manufacturing company
WHERE: Riegelwood, NC
WHAT: Superfund hazardous waste cleanup
HOW MUCH: $16.2 million

To reimburse the US EPA for costs of Superfund cleanup, a multinational manufacturing company has entered into a proposed settlement to pay for initial cleanup costs of contaminated soils and sediments at a North Carolina superfund site.

According to Biz Journals, these initial costs are estimated at about $16.2 million, however the company also agreed to reimburse the US government for all future costs associated with the cleanup. Situated adjacent to the Cape Fear River, the site hosted a chemical manufacturing facility from 1963 until 2000.   

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WHO: A tuna processing facility
WHERE: American Samoa
WHAT: Clean Water Act violations
HOW MUCH: $84,500

A company that cans and distributes tuna and fish byproducts will pay a civil penalty after allegedly violating the terms of an earlier settlement by conducting unauthorized discharges of wastewater into a nearby harbor.

After numerous unauthorized discharges, including bypassing a wastewater treatment center, the facility faces possible additional fines. The company paid $6.5 million to resolve water compliance violations under the original settlement. In addition to the civil penalty, the facility will provide local emergency responders with $88,000 worth of equipment for responding to chemical releases.

WHO: A diesel engine manufacturer
WHERE: Oahu, HI
WHAT: Safe Drinking Water Act violations
HOW MUCH: $129,000

A diesel engine manufacturer will pay a fine for operating a large capacity cesspool (LCC), which were banned under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005.

The company will be required to shut down the LCC and switch all wastewater operations to the individual wastewater treatment system previously installed at the property.

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Tags: Clean Water Act, EPA, EPA Enforcement Roundup, fines and penalties, hazardous waste management, Superfund