EPA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 1/10

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: Golf club owners/operators
Where: Morgantown, WV
What: Clean Water Act violations
How Much: $1,800,000

To settle allegations that they improperly filled wetlands and waterways at their Morgantown, WV golf club, the owners and operators of the club will pay $1.8 million to be split between US EPA and the state of West Virginia.

To fill or alter waterways in compliance with the EPA’s Clean Water Act, individuals must first obtain a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. According to EPA’s press release, the owners of the golf club failed to do so, resulting in the seven-figure civil penalty. In addition to the $1.8 million penalty, the golf club will complete additional mitigation work on or near its property.
 

Who: A US oil company
Where: Allegany County, NY
What: CERCLA, Oil Pollution Act, the Clean Water Act and more
How Much: $275,000

In a settlement reached with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, a US oil company will pay $275,000 to help “restore, rehabilitate, replace, and/or acquire the equivalent of the natural resources injured” at the Sinclair Refinery Superfund site in Allegany County, NY. 

Notice of the settlement, which resolves claims under CERCLA, the Oil Pollution Act, the Clean Water Act, and applicable New York State law, appeared in the Federal Register on January 11.

In 2008, the same company paid $187 million to close litigation over Superfund sites in Montana.
 

Convenient, Effective Online EPA Compliance Training

Managing site compliance with the many complex EPA programs that affect your business—from the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to TSCA, EPCRA, CERLCA, and more—is a major challenge. If you’re new to the field, or need an update on changing EPA rules, online training is a convenient way to quickly build in-depth expertise. Check out the latest EPA compliance training options here.  

The 2017 nationwide schedule for the Complete Environmental Regulations Workshop is now available. Collaborate with other managers to identify the requirements that apply to your facility, ask the right questions, and make the right decisions about EPA compliance.


 

Tags: CERCLA, Clean Water Act, EPA, EPA Enforcement Roundup, fines and penalties, oil Pollution act