EPA fines two Alaska facilities, Port of Shelton, WA and the City of Klamath Falls, OR for PCB violations

The Seattle office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the settlement of four enforcement cases related to the failure to dispose of PCBs within one year of storage for disposal. The violations were discovered by EPA after the routine review of shipping and disposal records that are required for regulated amounts of PCBs under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

According to Daniel Duncan, EPA’s Region 10 PCB Program Coordinator, facilities that store PCBs need to be aware of their notification and storage obligations under TSCA.

“The Toxic Substances Control Act is intended to protect human health and the environment from unreasonable risks posed by certain chemicals,” said Duncan. “It is important that companies and communities comply with TSCA regulations. If they don’t, they face potential fines for the noncompliance.”

After negotiated settlements, the total of the EPA penalties paid in the four cases was $14,705, as follows:

1) Port of Shelton, located at 21 West Sanderson Way in Shelton, Washington, was fined $1,096.
2) City of Klamath Falls, located at 1199 Spring Street, Klamath Falls, Oregon, was fined $6,445.
3) Alaska Gold Company, located 221 5th Avenue in Nome, Alaska, was fined $5,264.
4) Chugach Electric Association, Inc., located at 5601 Minnesota Drive in Anchorage, Alaska, was fined $1,900.

Concern over the toxicity and persistence in the environment of PCBs led Congress in 1976 to enact prohibitions on the manufacture, processing and distribution in commerce of PCBs, including “cradle to grave” (i.e. from manufacture to disposal) management of PCBs in the United States.

Rules governing PCBs and additional information on the toxic substances can be found at EPA’s PCB homepage at: http://www.epa.gov/pcb/.