EPA Waives Fines for Seven Companies

March 27, 2001
EPA is waiving a potential $547,150 in penalties against\r\nseven companies -- six in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia -- after\r\nthey voluntarily disclosed and corrected chemical reporting\r\nviolations.

EPA said it is waiving a potential $547,150 in penalties against seven companies -- six in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia -- after they voluntarily disclosed and corrected chemical reporting violations.

Acting under EPA policies designed to encourage companies to police their own environmental compliance, EPA''s mid-Atlantic office is waiving penalties against the following companies: Carbone of America Industries, St. Mary''s, Pa.; Cerro Metal Products Inc., Bellefonte, Pa.; General Electric Power Systems/General Electric International (GEPS/GEI), Chesapeake, Va.; Electro-Platers of York Inc., Wrightsville, Pa.; Leading Technologies Inc., Leechburg, Pa.; SinterMet LLC, Kittanning, Pa.; and Uniform Tubes Inc., Collegeville, Pa.

"EPA wants to reward responsible corporate citizens who make good-faith efforts to protect the environment," said EPA Acting Regional Administrator Thomas Voltaggio. "Companies can reduce or eliminate penalties by monitoring their own environmental compliance, promptly disclosing and correcting violations and acting to prevent future problems."

The penalty waivers announced involve violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, the federal law requiring companies to file annual reports of releases of toxic chemicals.

The law requires companies that manufacture, process or use more than a threshold amount of regulated chemicals to report both routine and accidental releases of these chemicals.

EPA determined that four companies -- Carbone, GEPS/GEI, Leading Technologies and SinterMet -- qualified for penalty waivers under the agency''s audit policy.

This policy substantially reduces or eliminates penalties for violations discovered or corrected by a company on its own, excluding criminal acts or violations resulting in significant harm to public health or the environment.

The other three companies -- Cerro Metal Products, Electro-Platers of York and Uniform Tubes -- signed onto a nationwide EPA program to improve reporting releases of toxic nitrate compounds.

Under the National Nitrate Initiative, companies that neglected to report past releases of nitrate compounds could settle their past violations for penalties ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 if the would commit to a rigorous self-audit of their right-to-know compliance -- above and beyond the legal requirements.

In their self-audits, the companies discovered failures to file required reports on several toxic chemicals used or stored at their plants, including nitrate, copper and polycyclic aromatic compounds; hydrochloric acid, nickel, zinc and cobalt.

"EPA wants to reward responsible corporations who make good-faith efforts to protect the environment," said Voltaggio. "Companies can reduce or eliminate penalties by monitoring their own environmental compliance, promptly disclosing and correcting violations, and acting to prevent future problems."

Companies can also avoid substantial penalty liability by taking advantage of EPA''s audit policy, Voltaggio noted.

For example, if EPA had uncovered the violations involved, the companies would have faced potential penalties totaling $547,150.

As of December 2000, there have been more than 100 disclosures and EPA has reduced or waived nearly $3 million in penalties under the audit policy.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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