EPA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 3/11

US businesses are subject to complex, overlapping environmental regulations related to air emissions, discharges to water, hazardous waste management and disposal, oil spills, chemical management, and more. Failure to comply with all applicable US EPA requirements can result in future liability and civil penalties as high as $100,000+ per day, per violation.

The EPA Enforcement Roundup highlights enforcement actions that offer insight into how and why US EPA and state partners assess penalties for noncompliance for environmental regulations.

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.

Your EPA Enforcement Roundup for this week:

An electronic component manufacturer agreed to a $387,000 penalty to resolve alleged hazardous waste management violations.

An electronic component manufacturer—and large quantity generator of hazardous solvents, caustics, and wipes—has agreed to pay the penalty to resolve alleged federal hazardous waste management violations at its Columbus, Nebraska, facilities.

EPA inspected the manufacturer’s facilities in May and October 2022 and state that the company’s violations include storing hazardous waste beyond 90 days without a required permit, and failing to:

• Properly label, contain, and maintain hazardous wastes.
• Inspect hazardous waste containers.
• Separate incompatible hazardous wastes.
• Maintain and operate one of the facilities to minimize the possibility of fire, explosion, or any unplanned release of hazardous waste.

A specialty fertilizer company settled with EPA to resolve alleged chemical reporting violations.

US EPA alleges that the company failed to report data for the 32 chemical substances that it had imported between 2016 and 2019, as required by the Toxic Substances Control Act. The same rule applies for manufacturers, too.

Reporting violations like the one alleged here present a potential harm to EPA’s ability to maintain accurate and updated information regarding certain chemicals, according to the Agency. The company faces $664,267 in civil penalties.

An environmental consulting company in Kansas faces civil penalties due to alleged RCRA violations.

The company will pay $98,513 in civil penalties to resolve alleged hazardous waste violations while operating as a treatment, storage, and disposal facility (TSDF).

According to EPA, the company’s facility in Fredonia, Kansas had tanks that were emitting hazardous pollutants exceeding permit limits, and failed to:

• Properly store hazardous waste.
• Fully close hazardous waste containers.
• Mark containers as hazardous waste.

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Tags: EPA Enforcement Roundup, hazardous waste management, RCRA, TSCA