Tuna Producer Caught in EPA Enforcement Net

Posted on 9/15/2017 by Roger Marks

Sorry, Charlie! A major canned tuna fish producer will now pay more than $6,000,000 to resolve alleged violations of wastewater permitting, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act chemical storage requirements.

In addition to paying the $6.3 million civil penalty, the company must make facility upgrades and donate at least $88,000 worth of emergency response equipment to help a local fire department respond to chemical releases.

According to the Consent Decree filed this week in a Pittsburgh, PA district court, the company discharged pollutants—nitrogen, phosphorus, oil, grease, and total suspended solids (TSS)—at volumes above permitted levels. The unauthorized discharges occurred due to a change in the composition of the facility’s wastewater that rendered its current treatment process inadequate.

The tuna maker also allegedly failed to properly store refrigerants covered under the Clean Air Act and self-reported RCRA hazardous waste violations to EPA.

In addition to the civil penalty and the donation of emergencey response equipment, the company will upgrade the secondary containment around four oil storage tanks.

20+ Hours of EHS Manager Training—Available Anytime, Anywhere

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, the Complete Environmental Regulations Online Course will help you quickly build in-depth expertise.

Or, check out the latest individual EPA compliance training options here:

Clean Air Act Regulations Online
TSCA Regulations Online
New! Clean Water Act & SDWA Regulations Online
Just Launched! Superfund and Right-to-Know Act Regulations Online

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: Act, Air, Clean, Clean Water Act, EPA, fines and penalties, RCRA

Find a Post

Search for:

Compliance Topics

Compliance Archives

The instructor was energetic and made learning fun compared to dry instructors from other training providers.

Andy D’Amato

International Trade Compliance Manager

The exercises in the DOT hazardous materials management course are especially helpful in evaluating your understanding of course information.

Morgan Bliss

Principal Industrial Hygienist

You blew the doors off the competition!

Stephen Bieschke

Facilities Manager

I can take what I learned in this workshop and apply it to everyday work and relate it to my activities.

Shane Hersh

Materials Handler

No comparison. Lion has the best RCRA training ever!!

Matt Sabine

Environmental Specialist

Well designed and thorough program. Excellent summary of requirements with references. Inclusion of regulations in hard copy form, as well as full electronic with state pertinent regulations included is a great bonus!

Oscar Fisher

EHS Manager

I have over 26 years of environmental compliance experience, and it has been some time since I have attended an environmental regulations workshop. I attended this course as preparation for EHS Audits for my six plants, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Frank Sizemore

Director of Regulatory Affairs

I have been to other training companies, but Lion’s material is much better and easier to understand.

Mark Abell

Regional Manager

The workshop covered a lot of information without being too overwhelming. Lion is much better, more comprehensive than other training providers.

George Alva

Manufacturing Manager

The instructor clearly enjoys his job and transmits that enthusiasm. He made a dry subject very interesting and fun.

Teresa Arellanes

EHS Manager

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Hazardous materials shipment rejections bear a big cost. Use this guide to end operational and logistical disruptions that severely impact your bottom line.

Download

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.