Chiawana, Inc. Fined $58,000 for Clean Air Act Violations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Chiawana, Inc. will pay $58,000 for alleged federal Clean Air Act (CAA) emergency prevention and planning violations.

Chiawana, Inc. owns and operates a cold storage warehouse in Yakima, Washington where it utilizes more than 10,000 lbs of anhydrous ammonia for refrigeration purposes. At that level of use, section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act requires Chiawana, Inc. to implement a Risk Management Program (RMP) at the facility.

EPA inspected the cold storage warehouse on February 24, 2006 and found the facility had failed to comply with several Risk Management Program requirements from at least March 17, 2005. Chiawana, Inc. has since corrected all of the violations.

"The Risk Management Program is designed to protect public health and the environment from accidental releases of harmful chemicals,” said Kelly Huynh, EPA’s RMP Coordinator in Seattle. “Chiawana, Inc.’s emergency prevention program needed much more attention to achieve this goal.”

The federal Clean Air Act, Section 112(r), requires the development of a Risk Management Program and submittal of Risk Management Plans for all public and private facilities that manufacture, process, use, store, or otherwise handle greater than a threshold amount of a regulated substance(s). Toxic chemicals, such as ammonia and chlorine, are covered by the program.

The Risk Management Program requires, but is not limited to, the development of an emergency response or action plan; evaluation of a worst case and more probable case chemical release; operator training; review of the hazards associated with using toxic or flammable substances; and operating procedures and equipment maintenance.