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EPA SETTLEMENT REDUCES AIR TOXIC RELEASES IN EAST PALO ALTO

Release Date: 10/2/2001
Contact Information: Lisa Fasano, U.S. EPA, 415-744-1587

     Facility fined for community right-to-know violations

     SAN FRANCISCO   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Romic Environmental Technologies, Corp. today for alleged right-to-know violations that calls for the East Palo Alto, Calif. facility to pay over $54,000 and complete an additional $295,000 environmentalworth of projects to lessen air pollution from the facility.

     The settlement requires the Romic facility on 2081 Bay Road to install a closed switching and pumping station in its truck loading liquid transfer area, which will reduce annual emissions of volatile organic compounds by 1.6 tons annually, 1.3 tons of which are also classified as hazardous air pollutants.  As a result of this project, Romic's releases of these toxic chemicals to the air will be reduced by about a fifth.

     EPA's citations of Romic areis being cited for failing to report emissions of 16 toxic chemicals in its 1999 annual Toxics Release Inventory, a violation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.  As part of the settlement, Romic has now filed these emission reports.

     "People who live near industrial sources have a need   and a right   to know what chemicals are being used and released in their neighborhoods," said Enrique Manzanilla, director of the EPA's Cross Media division in San Francisco.  "As a result of this settlement, Romic is providing a safer environment for those who live and work around the facility."

     Romic Environmental Technologies, Corp. recycles solvents and treats, stores, and disposes of hazardous waste.

     The reporting of data to the Toxics Release Inventory is required under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.  Under the program, certain facilities are required to report their releases of 650 toxic chemicals and chemical categories to the EPA every year.  This program has been credited with arming communities with valuable knowledge and encouraging facilities to reduce their releases of toxic chemicals into the environment through source reduction, or pollution prevention measures.

     Facility-specific information about toxic chemical releases can be found at
https://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/tris.  

     For more information about the program, the reporting requirements, and upcoming compliance assistance workshops, visit:  http://www. epa.gov/region09/toxic/tri.