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EPA and the Coast Guard Settle Hazardous Waste Violations at Portsmouth, Va. Facility

Release Date: 10/08/2008
Contact Information: Donna Heron 215-814-5113 / [email protected]

PHILADELPHIA (October 8, 2008) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard have settled alleged violations of hazardous waste and Clean Air Act regulations at the Coast Guard’s Integrated Support Command facility in Portsmouth, Va.

In addition to a $9,280 civil penalty, the Coast Guard has agreed to spend $89,290 on a project that will provide environmental and public health benefits. The Coast Guard will purchase a new digital x-ray machine for its dental clinic. The new digital machine will replace an x-ray machine that uses solutions that generate hazardous waste. This project will eliminate 906 pounds of hazardous waste annually.

After an August 2005 inspection, EPA cited the Coast Guard for violating the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment and avoid costly cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

The alleged RCRA violations included operating a hazardous waste storage facility without a permit or interim status and failed to label universal waste batteries. EPA alleges the Coast Guard failed to maintain records of Clean Air Act training and failed to maintain air pollution control equipment.

The settlement penalty reflects the U.S. Coast Guard’s compliance efforts, the relatively small quantity of hazardous wastes involved, and its cooperation with EPA in the investigation and resolution of this matter.

For more information about hazardous waste and RCRA: www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/hazwaste.htm. Information about EPA’s Clean Air Act requirements: www.epa.gov/air/caa/peg/