Educating the Educators
Community college
Maine: EPA Region 1
RCRA violation: During a compliance evaluation conducted by EPA regional staff, EPA’s inspectors identified multiple RCRA violations and state Hazardous Waste Management Rules, which govern the safe storage and handling of hazardous wastes.
Penalty: $238,000 fine
Third Time’s a Fine!
Fuel company
Baltimore, Maryland: EPA Region 3
UST violation: EPA has fined a fuel company for the third time for failing to take required measures to detect and prevent fuel leaks from underground storage tanks at eight Maryland gas stations that are owned or operated by the company.
Penalty: $101,000 fine
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Bridge Builder Pleads Guilty
Construction company
Raleigh, North Carolina: EPA Region 4
CWA violation: The company conducted a dredging project in an area designated as high quality waters. The employees removed a temporary load-out trestle, used backwash from a tugboat propeller to cut a channel next to the trestle and, as a result, 5,500 cubic yards of dredged spoil was expelled from the channel and deposited on approximately 8.2 acres of habitat on the sound bottom.
Penalty: Up to $500,000 fine
Treatment Plants Fail to Treat
Wastewater treatment plant
Shelby County, Ohio: EPA Region 5
CWA violation: Owners of six wastewater treatment plants were found by Ohio EPA to be in significant noncompliance for at least 7 years. Three of the plants have violated Ohio’s water quality standards by discharging partially treated sewage into streams in three locations, causing significant degradation.
Penalty: $197,000 fine
Fined for Not Pumping
Chemical company
Lansing, Michigan: EPA Region 5
Hazwaste violation: The company assumed liabilities of the former owner and EPA resolved allegations of failure to properly implement an earlier EPA order to pump groundwater and to prevent release and migration of hazardous waste from the facility into the environment.
Penalty: $650,000 fine
Contractor Lies on Invoices
Contracting firm
El Paso, Texas: EPA Region 6
Mail fraud violations: The firm has admitted to submitting fraudulent invoices to the city with inflated amounts for the hazardous waste collected and disposed of by the company under a contract with the city.
Penalty: Up to $500,000 fine
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Developer Violates Wetlands
Residential village
Montana: EPA Region 8
CWA violations: The company discharged dredged or fill material into wetlands adjacent to the Middle Fork of the West Fork of the Gallatin River during construction of roads, two bridges, and other features associated with a residential development.
Penalty: $165,000 fine
Company Knowingly Discharges
Food and beverage company
Riverside, California: EPA Region 9
CWA violations: The company pled guilty to a felony violation for discharging acidic wastewater into a local sewer system and to a second violation for knowingly failing to manually monitor its pretreatment system for pH.
Penalty: $750,000 fine
Chemical Leaks Undisclosed
Chemical company
St. Helens, Oregon: EPA Region 10
CERCLA and EPCRA violations: The company failed to notify authorities immediately after the facility released approximately 40,880 pounds of ammonia into the air from a leak in one of its production units over a 14-day period.
Penalty: $50,345 fine and $59,581 in new communications equipment for local emergency services