All News Releases By Date

GE Agrees to Pay $94,380 Penalty for Improperly Storing PCB Equipment in Pittsfield

Release Date: 05/30/2003
Contact Information: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)


BOSTON - The US Environmental Protection Agency today announced that the General Electric Co. has agreed to pay a $94,380 penalty as part of a settlement of an enforcement case regarding improper storage of PCB-containing equipment at its 254-acre property in Pittsfield.

The case was initiated after GE notified EPA that it had discovered two transformers and three capacitors containing PCBs were being stored improperly in Building 9 at its Pittsfield property. GE also notified EPA that one of the transformers had leaked PCB-containing oil.

Following the disclosure, GE contained the leak and undertook a facility-wide sweep to determine if other PCB-containing equipment was being stored improperly on the property. Based on that information, EPA concluded that there had been seven violations of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) at 11 separate locations on the property.

As part of the settlement, GE agreed to submit and implement a plan for addressing the PCB contamination before demolishing Building 9, to follow all applicable TSCA regulations for handling and disposing PCB-containing equipment found in the future, and to pay EPA specified penalties for future violations related to improper storage of PCB-containing equipment.

“This case is an important part of the overall cleanup in Pittsfield because it helps ensure that all PCB-containing equipment will be removed and disposed of properly from GE’s property,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England Office.