EPA Settlement for Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Breaches : Hazardous Waste Mismanagement Fines for Alaskan Construction Firms
Two building firms in Anchorage, Alaska have been reached settlements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency totalling $140,000 for obtain generator and transporter identification numbers prior to transporting hazardous waste
The EPA explained that UIC Roofing and UIC Construction in Anchorage, Alaska mishandled hazardous waste in violation of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
RCRA rules are intended to protect public health and the environment, and avoid costly clean ups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste. The regulations require solid waste to be evaluated to determine if the waste is hazardous.
The EPA said that obtaining an RCRA permit prior to operating a storage facility is required to insure that hazardous waste storage facilities are operated to prevent harm to the environment or human health.
“Improperly managing hazardous waste puts people and our environment at risk from exposure to harmful substances,” commented Ed Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Pacific Northwest Office of Compliance and Enforcement. “Compliance with federal hazardous waste rules helps companies protect their workers, their community, and their bottom line by avoiding costly fines.”
EPA alleges that, on October 19, 2010, UIC Roofing transported hazardous waste to property owned by UIC Construction in Anchorage, Alaska, in violation of several RCRA requirements.
Specifically, UIC Roofing was said to have failed to: obtain generator and transporter identification numbers prior to transporting hazardous waste, prepare a hazardous waste manifest, and dispose of the waste at a RCRA permitted facility. UIC Construction meanwhile was said to have stored the hazardous waste without a RCRA permit until April 1, 2011, when the waste was shipped to an approved RCRA disposal facility.
The EPA said that both companies have agreed to settle the alleged violations and pay penalties. As part of this agreement, UIC Roofing will pay $59,724 and UIC Construction will pay $80,456 in penalties. The companies are both subsidiaries of parent company UIC Construction Services, of Anchorage, Alaska.
For more information about the EPA’s work in enforcing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act click HERE
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