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U.S. EPA orders Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach tenants to comply with stormwater requirements


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LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today ordered eight tenants at the Port of Long Beach and 12 tenants at the Port of Los Angeles to comply with federal Clean Water Act stormwater regulations.

Industrial materials such as fuel, oil and debris are carried by stormwater from these facilities, which discharge directly into Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors, and through municipal storm drains running to the harbors.

“We now better understand how we can reduce pollution loading through the actions the ports and their tenants will be taking and thus improve coastal water quality,” said Alexis Strauss, Water Division director in the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “We’ll be working with the Los Angeles Regional Board, cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the ports and their tenants to resolve various compliance issues noted in our audit and inspections.”

“The health of our rivers, estuaries and ocean depend upon compliance with Federal and State Water Quality statutes,” said Fran Diamond, Chair of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. “It also depends upon taking appropriate action when violations occur. I hope that today’s announcement clearly communicates to the business community and to the public that US EPA and the Regional Board will continue to vigilantly monitor and enforce the regulations that protect both human health and the environment.”

Given the concentration of industrial facilities and their proximity to the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors, in May, the EPA and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board reviewed stormwater management practices at industrial facilities at both ports, including inspections of tenant compliance with the state’s industrial stormwater permit. The orders require each tenant to fix violations found during the May inspections, including on-the-ground corrective measures.

The EPA issued orders to the following Port of Los Angeles tenants:
* American Workboats, Inc.
* APM Terminals of North America, Inc.
* Catalina Freight Lines
* Cerritos Yacht Anchorage, Inc.
* Eagle Marine Services Ltd.
* General Petroleum
* Marine Technical Services, Inc.
* Pacific Harbor Line, Inc.
* San Pedro Forklift
* Seaside Transportation Services, LLC
* Star Kist Foods, Inc.
* Trapac, Inc

The Port of Long Beach holds the stormwater permit for the majority of its tenants, and is also named on the orders. The EPA issued the orders to the Port of Long Beach and the following tenants:
* Baker Commodities, Inc.
* Cabrillo Boat Shop
* Georgia Pacific LLC d/b/a George Pacific Gypsum
* International Transportation Services, Inc.
* Mitsubishi Cement
* Morton International, Inc.
* Pacific Coast Container, Inc.
* New NGC Incorporated d/b/a National Gypsum

For more information on the EPA and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board’s May stormwater management review of the ports’ industrial facilities, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region09/water/ports/



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