View various enforcement penalties sorted by state!  Simply click on the state to search companies fined in that particular state.

ALABAMA

Gadsden, AL

Company: Gulf States Steel, Inc.,
Business: Steel manufacturer.
Penalty: $100,000 (final) fine and $6.54 million in cleanup costs. 
Reason for penalty: The company agreed to pay the fine to settle liabilities after discharges created a federal Superfund site on its property.  Gulf States also agreed to comply with CWA discharge

Mobile, AL

Individual: Joseph Magazzu, former plant manager, Morton International's Moss Paint plant
Business: Wastewater treatment
Penalty: $250,000 and up to two years in jail (proprosed)
Reason for penalty: Magazzu falsified monthly wastewater discharge analysis reports.
Note: Magazzu faked reports to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to give the impression the discharge were under the plant's permit limit.  But an analysis by federal agents revealed actual discharges were more than 31 times the plant's permit limits.
Agencies: EPA, DEQ and the FBI

ALASKA

Van Buren, AK

Company: Allen Canning Co.
Business: Cannery
Why inspected? Investigation of a complaint about exposing employees to asbestos during the removal of asbestos-containing ceiling material
Fine: $112,000
Reasons for fine: Sixteen serious citations, including failure to:
* Establish a regulated area where asbestos was being removed 
* Monitor work areas to determine the level of exposure to employees 
* Use proper cleanup and disposal procedures for asbestos 
* Provide and ensure the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) including respirators
* Train employees in the hazards of asbestos removal

Endicott Island, AK

Company: BP Exploration Alaska, Inc.
Business: Oil exploration
Penalty: $22 million proposed criminal fine.  The company has already paid $6.5 million in civil penalties.
Reason for penalties: BP/Amoco illegally disposed of hazardous wastes, including several toxic chemicals.  BP also failed to provide oversight, audits and funds to ensure proper environmental management of the facility.
Note: The company must now establish a court-monitored nationwide environmental management system at all its facilities, and will be on probation for five years.
Agencies: EPA and the FBI

Sitka, AK

Individual: Rick Rushing, owner, Technic Services, Inc.
Business: Environmental abatement service
Penalty: Rushing faces a possible five-year jail sentence and fines that could exceed $250,000.
Reasons for penalty:  A jury found Rushing guilty of illegally removing and disposing of asbestos, wetting agents and anti-freeze while renovating a client's facility.  He was convicted of ordering worker to: 
* ignore asbestos-removal procedures, which created clouds of asbestos dust at the site
* turn off personal monitors to avoid high asbestos readings
* wash wastes down storm drains and directly into Silver Bay, and
* lie about compliance with asbestos removal regulations.
Agencies: EPA's CID and the Alaska Department of Labor

ARIZONA

Lupton, AZ

Company: Speedy's Convenience, Inc.
Business: Oil storage facility
Penalty: $68,600
Reasons for penalty/fine: Failed to prepare a Spill Prevention and Countermeasures Plan and maintain that report on site.
Note: Thre was no spill from the facility.  But oil spills form the company's 720,000-gallon oil storage facility could affect the Puerco River.  Federal EPA inspected the operation at the request of the Navajo Nation EPA.
Agency: EPA

Joseph City, AZ

Company: Arizona Public Service Co.
Business: Electric power generator
Penalty: $15,000 fine (proposed)
Reasons for penalty: A jam in facility's normal disposal system created a 184,000 gallon spill that drained into a stormwater pond that couldn't hold the overflow.  The facility was fined for discharging without a CWA permit.
Agency: Arizona DEQ

Mesa, AZ

Company: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems, Inc.
Business: Air-bag Manufacturer
Penalty: $37 million (proposed)
Reason for penalty: TRW was shipping tons of wastewater containing sodium azide, a volatile and toxic chemical used as an air-bag propellant in landfills in Arizona, Utah and California.  Investigators said millions of gallons were dumped over six years time.
Note: The settlement also requires TRW to take out a newspaper ad of apology and pay for a multimillion-dollar emergency notification system that can phone 2,000 neighbors per minute if an emergency occurs.
Agency: EPA (A three year investigation has resulted in the largest criminal-civil settlement in history under the nation's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Mesa, AZ

Company: MasterCraft Cabinets
Business: Wood products
Penalty: $18,171 (final)
Reasons for penalty: The firm exceeded hazardous-waste storage limits and failed to maintain an inspection log of storage areas.
Note: MasterCraft agreed to improve its hazwaste containment area
Agency: EPA

Phoenix, AZ

Companies: CHI Construction Co., and Maracay Homes, Inc.
Fines: Maracay must pay $15,000; CHI must pay $6,000.
Reasons for fines: The two firms violated local dust control requirements during earth-moving operations.  The companies failed to wet construction and demolition areas and roads, and didn't post required earth-moving permits.
Agency: EPA

Queen Creek, AZ

Company: TRW's Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.
business: Airbag manufacturer
Penalties: $12 million in criminal fines; $5.6 million in civil fines (final) and five years of probation.
Reasons for penalty: TRW admitted it violated Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) rules by:
* knowingly sending sodium azide-contaminated wastes to unauthorized landfills, and 
* storing and handling those wastes without a RCRA permit
Note: The company must also create an environmental management system at two facilities in Arizona and Nevada.
SEP: TRW also must invest:
* $2.5 million to upgrade Maricopa Country's Community Emergency Notification System
* $840,000 for a wastewater pollution prevention project at its manufacturing facility, and
* $2.,4 million to upgrade wastewater and stormwater collection and storage systems.
Agencies: EPA's CID and the Arizona Attorney General's Office

ARKANSAS

Company: Nucor Corporation
Business: Steel manufacturer
Penalty: $85 million in improvements, $9 million civil penalty and $4 million on continued emissions monitoring and environmental projects.
Reason for penalty: Failed to control the amount of pollution released from its steel factories.
Note: The pilot technology is expected to set a new standard in the steel industry for controlling NOx emissions from furnaces and VOCs from paint operations.  Nucor is also required to improve its handling methods for K061 dust; sample groundwater and soil at each of its factories; and identify and clean up those areas that are contaminated with K061 dust.

Marianna, AR.

Company: Magna-Lomason
Business: Automotive parts manufacturer
Agency: OSHA
Fine: $85,000

CALIFORNIA

Bell Gardens, CA

Company: Chrome Crank Shaft
Business: Chrome plater
Penalty: Required to clean up contaminated soil at the facility or pay up to $25,000/day in fines
Reason for penalty/fine: Failed to control dust blowing off land it contaminated with lead, nickel, cadmium, chromium, hexabalent chromium and mercury.  The land is located between two schools.
Note: The company must suppress dust immediately and develop a planned for cleaning up the site
Agency: California EPA

Santa Ana, CA

Company: Burtin Urethane
Business: Chemical manufacturer
Penalty: $120,000
Reasons for penalty/fine: The compnay was cited for:
* not reporting the amount of toxic chemicals it used annually, and
* failing to tell EPA how many chemicals it emitted each year
Agency: EPA

Downey, CA

Company: KF Fiberglass, Inc
Business: Fiberglass manufacturer
Penalty: $15,989
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company failed to report styrene releases between 1992 and 1996
Note: Regulators found the violations during a routine inspection.
Agency: EPA

Los Angeles, CA

Company: ARCO
Business: Oil Refiner
Penalty: $10 million (proposed)
Reasons for penalty/fine: Violations of underground storage tank regulations at eight gas stations in the Stockton, CA, area.  Among other things, the firm operated its tanks without permits and didn't report unauthorized releases.
Note: The company has been sued by the state because of the problems.
Agency: San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office.

Los Angeles, CA

Company: Chrome Crankshaft
Business: Chrome plating operation
Penalty/fines: The company agreed to pay over $300,000 in legal fees to the citizen's group and pay another $25,000 to fund public education efforts on toxic substances
Reasons for penalty/fine: Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) charged that Chrome Crankshaft's legal HAP emissions, particularly hexavalent chromium, were the cause of serious health effects suffered by teachers and students at two schools right next door to the Los Angeles facility.

Brae, CA

Company: Kirkhill Rubber Co.
Business: Aerospace products maker
Penalty: $37,500 (final)
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company failed to file Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reports during 1995 for annual releases of:
* friable asbestos
*zinc compounds, and
*di2 (ethylhexyl) phthalates
Note: The three missing Form R reports were discovered during a compliance sweep on Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act (EPCRA) reporting requirements.
Agency: EPA

Elk Grove, CA

Individual & company: Joe Avis, owner of Joe Avis Dairy
Business: Dairy farm operator
Penalty: Up to $1.5 million in fines, and up to 15 years in jail for five counts of illegal waste discharges (proposed)
Reason for penalty: Avis is charged with violating the CWA by illegally discharging organically polluted wastewater.  Runoff from his property drained into Stone Lake and the Sacramento River.
Agencies: EPA, the North Central Valley Dairy Waste Enforcement Task Force and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Elk Grove, CA

Individual: Gilbert Darnley, owner of Petroleum Recovery Service
Business: Waste oil recovery
Penalty: $1.9 million fine, and up to 80 months in jail.
Reasons for penalty: Darnley violated RCRA regs when he dumped more than 160,000 gallons of waste oil into the ground at his company's headquarters.  Regulators also found over 1,000 drums, many rusted and leaking, on his company's property.
Agency: EPA

Yucaipa, CA

Company: Sorenson Engineering
Business: Chemical processor
Penalty: $32,500 fine and the company must install $229,529 worth of pollution control equipment (final)
Reason for penalty: Sorenson failed to file annual Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reports for releases of phosphoric acid and nitric acid.
Note: The suit against the company was originally brought by an environmental group.  The company also agreed to stop using chromic acid and install emission control devices on its vapor degreasing system.
Agency: EPA

Wilmington, CA

Business: Petroleum refinery
Penalty: $6 million (final)

Sacramento, CA

Company: Campbell Soup Co.
Business: Food processor
Penalty: $1.2 Million fine and an SEP
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm failed to: 
* get a permit before modifying a production line
* obtain offsets for its emission increases, and 
* install required pollution controls
SEP: Campbell must forfeit 40 to 75 tons of emission credits to offset the unpermitted emissions it created.  The company must also donate 32.7 tons of credits worth about $588,600 to a non-profit environmental group
Agencies: EPA, DOJ

Sacramento, CA

Individual: Angelo Tsakapoulos
Business: Developer
Penalty: $1.5 million
Reasons for penalty/fine: Tsakapoulos harmed two acres of environmentally sensitive wetlands to convert pasture into vineyards.  He destroyed vernal pools and swales that were home to endangered species.  Tsakapoulos also failed to get needed permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Note: Tsakapoulos must either pay the whole fine or a lesser amount and restore four acres of wetlands on his ranch under the supervision of EPA.  This is the largest wetlands penalty ever imposed after a trial in the U. S. 
Agency: EPA

Sacramento, CA

Company: Kaiser Permenente
Business: Hospital operator
Penalty: $10,500 (final)
Reasons for penalty: The company failed to modify a boiler to meet CAA emission limits.  The firm also failed to submit a source test report that demonstrated compliance with emission limits.
Note: Settlement of the violations was reached through the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District's (SMAQMD) mutual settlement program to limit time and expense of litigation.
Agency: SMAQMD

Lodi, CA

Individual: Takamori Saito, director of plant & facilities management, Lodi Memorial Hospital
Business: Hospital
Penalty: Saito faces one year in jail, one year of supervised release and a $100,000 fine
Reasons for penalty/fine: Saito pleaded guilty to violating CAA rules for handling asbestos during renovations. He failed to: 
* have the work area inspected for asbestos before renovations began
* keep asbestos materials wet and stored in airtight bags, and 
* send materials containing asbestos to proper disposal facilities.
Agencies: EPA's CID and the U.S. Department of Justice

Richmond, CA

Company: Marin Tug and Barge
Business: Shipping company
Why inspected? Workers complained they suffered medical problems after they worked for 26 straight hours in a compartment filled with eight feet of oil, where the ventilation ducts were at times below the level of the oil
Fine: $97,000
Reasons for fine:
Two willful citations for failure to:
* Test the atmosphere for hazardous substances in a confined space
*Provide respirators and personal protective equipment (PPE) for emergency response operations 
Thirteen serious citations, including failure to:
* Train workers on handling hazardous materials
* Implement and follow decontamination procedures
* Develop rescue procedures for workers in a confined space

Placerville, CA

Company: Weber Creek Quarry
Business: Rock and quarry operation
Penalty: The company faces several million dollars in fines based on $27,500 per day over three years
Reason for penalty: Weber was cited for failing to control asbestos dust emissions, as required in its Clean Air Act (CAA) permit, over a three year period.  Citizen complaints sparked the investigation
Agencies: EPA and the California Air Resources Board.

Stockton, CA

Individual & Company: James Downing, former owner, Advanced Metal Plating
Business: Metal Plater
Penalty: Up to 10 years in prison and fines as high as $510,000
Reasons for penalty/fine: When his compnay went out of business, Downing allegedly abandoned large containers of hazardous chemicals in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Note: Downing has been indicted.  He is also accused of tampering with a pH meter used to monitor the flow of acids and bases into the city sewer system
Agencies: EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, San Joaquin District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

Mecca, CA

Individual: Patrick Wolfenbarger
Penalty: Thirty months in prison
Reason for penalty/fine: Wolfenbarger was convicted by a jury for illegally dumping hazardous wastes into the Salton Sea
Note: Another man, Bobby Joe Colvin, also of Mecca, CA was convicted, too, but hasn't yet been sentenced
Agencies: FBI, California EPA and the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

Fresno, CA

Company: Sanger Boats
Business: Boat builder
Penalty: $9,391
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm violated the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) by failing to estimate and report its use of styrene during a three-year period.
Note: Under EPCRA, manufacturers with 10 employees or more must report chemical use and discharges each year.  The reports are compiled for the annual Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)
Agency: EPA

Modesto, CA

Individual & Company: Larry Bietz, Ceres, CA; Modesto Tallow Co.
Business: Food Processor
Penalty: For Bietz, up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine; for Modesto Tallow, a fine of $600,000 and a payment of $37,536 to reimburse the city of Modesto for the cost of its investigation.
Reasons for penalty/fine: Several violations of the Clean Water Act, including:
* falsifying wastewater monitoring results
* tampering with a monitoring device, and 
* negligently discharging a pollutant into the Tuolumne River.
Note: Bietz admitted he and employees under his direction discharged tens of thousands of gallons of untreated wastewater into the city sewer system
Agencies: EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the city of Modesto and DOJ

San Bernadino, CA

Company: Mitsubishi Cement Corp.
Business: Cement plant
Penalty:$53,200
Reasons for penalty: The firm violated New Source Performance Standards for cement plants by not monitoring visible particulate emissions.
Note: The plant fell under the new source rule because a previous owner made modifications in the 1980's 
Agency: EPA

San Leandro, CA

Company: Safeway
Business: Electroplater.
Penalty: $200,000

COLORADO

Denver, CO

Company: Sealy Mattress Co
Business: Mattresses manufacturer
Why inspected?  Inspected as part of OSHA's targeted inspection plan, which focuses on companies with high injury and illness rates.
Fine: $131,200
Reasons for fine: Ten repeat citations including failure to:
*Keep multiple emergency exits free from obstruction
*Implement a bloodborne pathogen exposure control plan
*Guard points of operation on machines
*Develop lockout/tagout procedures
*Enforce the use of protective eyewear
*Train employees on emergency procedures
*Label containers of chemicals
*Train employees on chemical hazards
*Conduct medical monitoring of employees exposed to methylene chloride

Denver, CO

Company: Denver Water Board
Business: Vehicle washing and painting operation
Penalty: $48,000, plus several SEPs estimated to cost $833,000
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm discharged pollutants such as paint wastes and vehicle washing sludges into a river without a permit
Note: Even though the company self-reported the violations and got protection from penalties under Colorado's self-audit law, EPA stepped in and imposed fines based on the economic benefits the company received by not complying.
Agency: EPA

Summitville, CO

Company & Individuals: Summitville Consolidated Mining Co.; Tom Chisholm, environmental manager; and Samye Buckner, general manager
Business: Gold mine
Penalty: $20 million for the company plus possible jail time for the men
Reasons for penalty/fine: The men and the company were charged with conspiring to avoid environmental regulations.  Violations included:
* lying to regulators about the amount of pollutants at the facility
* discharging pollutants into several area creeks and rivers, and 
* exceeding discharge permit limits
Note: The managers pleaded guilty to felony charges but haven't yet been sentenced
Agency: U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado

Arvada, CO

CONNECTICUT

Avon, CT

Individual: Michael Rosenberg, owner, Avenue Cleaners
Business: Dry cleaner
Penalty: Rosenberg faces up to 15 years in jail and $1 million in fines
Reasons for penalty: Rosenberg has been charged with illegally dumping the dry cleaning solvent, prechloroethylene, a hazardous waste regulated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). He has also been charged with obstruction of justice after making false statements to a witness.
Agencies: Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, EPA's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the Farmington, CT, Police Department.

South Windsor, CT

Company: Polymetric, Inc.
Business: Filter manufacturer
Penalty: $1 million fine, $11,000 to reimburse the town for damage to its treatment plant and a $350,000 SEP
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm discharged highly acidic wastewater from its facility into the South Windsor sewer system
Note: When the acidic water reached the town's sewage treatment plant, it killed the beneficial bacteria used to treat the water.  This caused untreated waste water to flow into a local river.  For the SEP, the firm must give $350,000 to the state so it can buy new parkland.
Agency: EPA

East Windsor, CT

Company: Preston Engravers, Inc
Business: Rotary die manufacturer
Fine: The company has been cited, but the fine hasn't yet been set
Reasons for fine: Firm violated chromium electroplating regs, including failure to:
* create an operations and maintenance plan on time
* keep adequate records, and 
* file reports on time
Note: The plant was cited as part of EPA's foucs on the metals industry.
Agency: EPA

Stafford Springs, CT

Company: M.C.M Real Corp
Business: Facility renovator
Penalty: A $280,000 fine and reimbursement to EPA of $560,570 to clean up a contaminated site
Reason for penatly/fine: The company, formed to renovate a former textile mill, never cleaned up contaminants at the site
Note: The firm obtained estimates for the cleanup, but never actually had the work done.
Agency: EPA

West Haven, CT

Company: Cover-It, Inc
Business: Portable garage maker
Penalty: Up to three years probation and a $500,000 fine
reasons for penalty/fine: Two workers stripped off and painted over the labels on hazardous waste drums to keep their contents from being identified.  The drums, which contained chromium, were dumped in two separate locations.
Note: The company must also pay $12,750 for cleanup costs.
Agencies: Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Waterbury, CT

Individuals: John Miele, plant manager, and William Schweikher, plant engineer, MacDermid Inc.
Business: Chemical processor
Penalties: Both face a year in jail and a $100,000 fine.
Reasons for penalties: Both pleaded guilty to failing to stop employees from faking their company's monthly Clean Water Act (CWA) discharge monitoring reports to conceal illegal discharges of zinc and copper.  They admitted they knew employees would routinely discard discharge samples that revealed the facility was exceeding its discharge limits.
Agencies: EPA's CID and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Bridgeport, CT.

Watertown, CT

Organization: City of Watertown, CT.
Business: Public works
Fine: $134,580
Reasons for fine: The organization was cited for: 
*not labeling hazardous wastes, and not training workers on environmental compliance.  
Note: The facility was inspected because EPA has been targeting other governmental agencies.
Agency: EPA

Madison, CT

Companies: Kensington Corp., Madison CT; Lawes Agricultural Services, Inc.; Brandon, VT; and Roberts Chemical Co., Inc., East Providence, RI
Business: Pesticide processors
Penalty: $5,500 each (proposed)
Reason for penalty/fine: The companies failed to submit required annual pesticide production reports to EPA.
Note: If they don't file the reports, the firms will lose the right to sell pesticides.  They can get the penalty cut by 25% if they respond quickly.
Agency: EPA

DELAWARE

Delaware City, DE

Company: Metachem Products, LLC
Business: Chemical processor
Penalty: The company faces an $11 million fine based on $10,000 per day per violation over three years.
Reason for penalty: Metachem was cited for failing to achieve an 81% removal rate for volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, and for not conducting a stack test as required.  A test this year revealed the company captured only 8% of VOCs
Note: The state asked EPA to investigate the company for possible violations of PCB-management rules
Agency: The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Newark,DE

Company & Individual: Royal Recovery System, Inc., and Elliot Packer, company owner
Business: Precious metals recovery.
Penalty: Packer faces fines of up to $50,000 per day per violation, and up to five years in jail.
Reason for penalty/fine: Packer stored hundreds of barrels of hazardous waste products in a warehouse without a permit allowing him to do so.
Note: The maximum fine is $36.5 million
Agencies: EPA and the FBI

Wilmington, DE

Company: Delmarva Power and Light Co. 
Business: Electric utility
Penalty: $40,000, plus an SEP estimated to cost $40,000
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm had an inadequate spill prevention, control and countermeasures plan.  The firm failed to:
* assess potential oil spills
* maintain written procedures
* keep inspection records, and 
* designate a person responsible for oil spill prevention
Note: For the SEP, the company was ordered to create 12 acres of new wetlands at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, MD

Wilmington, DE

Company:  Pettinaro Construction Co.
Business: Building construction
Penalty: Up to $500,000 or $50,000 per day of violation, whichever is greater
Reasons for penalty/fine: Violations of the Reource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) include:
* illegally storing ignitable, toxic and corrosive wastes in a warehouse
* transporting those wastes in a van illegally, and 
* abandoning the wastes and the van in a train station parking lot
Note: Among other substances, the wastes contained acids and flammable liquids, which posed a serious health hazard.
Agencies: EPA and the Delaware Environmental Crimes Task Force

FLORIDA

Bushnell, FL

Company: Hillandale Farms of Florida, Inc.
Business: Grain silo
Agency: DOL
Fine: Proposed $161,000
Reason for fines: The company was cited for:
*allowing employees without lifelines or body harnesses to enter silos and for failing to remove grain dust as it accumulated in the mill.
Fined for:
*failing to have in place an emergency action plan, including emergency shutdown procedures and maintenance of emergency rescue equipment 
*failing to issue entry permits for confined spaces
*not conducting employee safety training
*failure to develop and implement a written housekeeping program to eliminate grain dust accumulations

Miami, FL

Company: American Airlines, Inc
Business: Commercial airline
Penalty: $8 million (final)
Reasons for penalty/fine: The airline carried flammable hazardous materials on its planes and stored hazardous materials illegally at several of its airports.  Further, its employees weren't trained to properly identify or handle hazardous materials.
Note: In addition to the fine, the airline must undertake a court supervised compliance and training program at every one of its airports in the U.S. and abroad.  It also must create a new position and hire a VP whose sole responsibility will be to ensure compliance with federal regulations.
Agencies: EPA, the US Department of Transportation, the US Customs Service and the FBI

Miami, FL

Individual & company: Manuel Rojas, owner, Latin Van Lines, Inc.
Business: Trucking firm
Penalty: $100,000 and up to five years in jail, plus $53,000 to reimburse the state of Florida for disposal of the firm's hazardous waste.
Reasons for penalty/fine: Rojas illegally stored hazardous wastes at his operation and arranged to have the drums dumped cheaply without regard to environmental regulations
Note: Rojas was caught arranging illegal disposal of the wastes when he contacted an undercover Florida Marine Patrol officer to do the work for $750.
Agencies: EPA, FBI, U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Miami, FL

Company: Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.
Business: Cruise ship operator
Penalty: Fines of up to $27,000 per incident of air pollution violations.  The company could also be ordered to install pollution control equipment on its ships.
Reason for penalty: Royal Caribbean is one of six cruise lines accused of violating the Clean Air Act by significantly exceeding state and federal air pollution limits in Alaska.
Note: Royal Caribbean;s stock sank almost 17% on the news of the violation.
Agency: EPA

Bradenton, FL

Individual: Lawrence Hilton
Business: Waste disposal contractor
Penalty: Up to eight years in prison and/or $500,000
Reasons for penalty/fine: Hilton is charged with:
* burying drums of hazardous waste, including flammables and lead contaminants, without a permit
* failing to report the disposal, and 
* not reporting a hazardous waste release to federal authorities.
Note: The contamination at the site wasn't discovered until after Hilton was evicted from the property.
Agencies: EPA, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Manatee County Sheriff.

Ocala, FL

Company: Royal Oak Enterprises, Inc.
Business: Wood charcoal manufacturer
Why inspected? Investigation into death of a worker who was electrocuted and killed when he touched an energized electrical terminal while trying to reach the restart switch of a machine.
Fine: $132,000
Reason for fine: One repeat citation
*Exposed live electrical parts
Nine serious citations, including:
*Failure to ensure that hazardous machinery is locked out during maintenance
*Inadequate emergency response plan
*Confined space hazards
*Inadequate machine guarding
*Lack of chemical labeling
*Failure to provide fire extinguishers

Sarasota, FL

Individual: Paul Paver, president 
Company: Southbay Utilities
Business: Wastewater treatment
Penalty: $1.75 million in fines and restitution (final)
Reason for penalty: Paver let his firm bypass effluent treatment systems and directly discharge nitrogen pollutants
Note: This is the highest penalty ever paid in the Tampa Bay area for Clean Water Act violations
Agencies: The Tampa Bay Environmental Crimes Task Force, EPAs CID, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Plantation, FL

Company: Advanced Moving Systems
Business: for-hire motor carrier hauling primarily household goods from Florida
Agency: DOT
Fine: $98,000
Reason for fines: The company was fined for:
*failing to publish a tariff
*failing to participate in a dispute settlement program
*failing to provide the required consumer information "Your Rights and Responsibilities When you Move" and a summary of their dispute settlement program
*failing to retain copies of estimates as addendums to the bill of lading, and failing to prepare orders for service

GEORGIA

Atlanta, GA

Company: Commonwealth Oil Refining Company
Business: Oil refinery
Penalty: $61,500 (final)
Reasons for penalty: The company violated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) standards for transformers and large capacitors by failing to maintain annual records of PCB equipment inspections, including whether any of its equipment containing PCBs was taken out of service or whether any PCB-contaminated equipment was disposed of.
Agencies: EPA and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board.

Brunswick, GA

Individuals:  Douglas Hanson, environmental manager, and James Dunn, production manager, L.C.P. Chemicals and Plastics, Inc.
Business: Chemical processor
Penalty: 18 months in jail, one year of probation and a $5,000 fine for Hanson; nine months in prison and one year of probation for Dunn
Reasons for penalties: Hanson and Dunn failed to immediately report to the National Response Center a 1,000-lb spill of sodium hypochlorite
Note: Any spill of certain quantities of hazardous chemicals must be reported to national and local response agencies within 15 minutes.
Agencies: EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Georgia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

Dalton, GA

Company: Dalton Utilities
Business: Utility
Fine: $500,000
Reason for fine: The company falsified wastewater analysis in its monthly operating reports to show compliance with Clean Water Act regulations.  Despite what the reports indicated, the operation was, in fact, not in compliance with the rules.
Note: If the firm fails to comply with the terms of its probation, it'll have to pay an additional $500,000
Agency: EPA

Fort Oglethorpe, GA

Company: W.L. Wilson and Sons, Inc.
Business: Funeral home
Penalty: Up to three years in prison and $500,000
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm discharged wastewater into drains which emptied into Branch Creek without a permit
Note: The wastewater contained toilet water, formaldehyde, embalming fluid and body fluids.
Agencies: EPA, FBI

Gainesville, GA

Companies: Charleston Shipbuilders, Charleston, SC, and Consolidated Minerals, Inc.
Businesses: Shipbuilding
Penalty: $100,000 for each company
Reason for penalty/fine: During renovation and demolition of a Navy ship, the companies violated the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for asbestos by not wetting the asbestos enough.
Agency: EPA

HAWAII

IDAHO

Soda Springs, ID

Individual: Alan Elias, owner, Evergreen Resources
Business: Fertilizer processor
Penalty: Up to 20 years in jail and a $1 million fine
Reasons for penalty/fine: Elias: 
* forced workers to clean up hazardous cyanide waste in a storage tank and refused to provide them with proper protective gear
* illegally disposed of the waste, and 
* falsified a safety plan
Note: A 20-year-old worker suffered brain damage because he was exposed to cyanide gas
Agencies: EPA, FBI, OSHA, IRS, Idaho State Police and Idaho DEP

ILLINOIS

Hartford, IL
East Alton, IL
Highland, IL
Granite City, IL
Hartford, IL

Individuals and Company: Ira Campbell, George Boud, Kevin Youngman, Bruce Hendrickson - Chemetco, Inc.
Business: Copper Smelter
Agency: EPA
Penalty: Each of the men face fines of up to $500,000 and/or up to eight years in jail (proposed).
Reasons for fine: Campbell avoided Clean Water Act (CWA) discharge limitations by directing employees to install a secret discharge pipe at the facility to dump zinc, lead and cadmium into Long Lake.

Chicago, IL

Company: American Decal & Manufacturing Co.
Business: Commerical printer
Penalty: $50,000 fine (final)
Reason for penalty: The company failed to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from its printing and painting lines.  Clean Air Act (CAA) rules required the company to either switch to low-VOC inks and paints or add control equipment to limit emissions.
Note: American Decal achieved compliance by finally switching to low-VOC substitute materials and closing down a paint line.
Agency: EPA

Chicago, IL

Company: Stock Yards Packing Co. Inc.
Business: Food Processor
Penalty: $11,855 (final)
Reason for penalty: The firm failed to advise local emergency agencies that it stored anhydrous ammonia on site.  Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act (EPCRA), facilities storing more than 500 lbs. of anhydrous ammonia must file reports by March 1 every year to emergency responders
Agency: EPA

Chicago, IL

Company: Safety-Kleen Corporation
Business: Hazardous waste treatment provider
Penalty: $274,500
Reasons for penalty: Improper handling and transporting of PCBs, failing to manifest and unlawfully disposing of PCB-contaminated oil.
Note: The company is now in compliance
Agency: EPA

Chicago, IL

Company: Chicago Specialties, LLC
Business: Chemical processor
Penalty: The company faces $27,500 in fines for each day of violation
Reasons for penalty: The plant was cited for failing to maintain 98% control efficiency for its hazardous and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.  The firm also failed to meet emission testing, monitoring and recordkeeping requirements outlined in its Clean Air Act (CAA) permit.
Agency: EPA

Chicago, IL

Company: Illinois Institute of Technology
Business: College
Fine: $15,000, plus a $30,000 SEP
Reasons for penalty/fine: The school was cited for violations of the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) rule, including:
* not developing and maintaining two years' worth of document logs
* failing to inspect its transformers or keep records of inspections, and 
* not registering its PCB-containing transformers with the local fire department.
Note: The $77,000 proposed fine was reduced after the school agreed to the SEP, which includes properly disposing of the transformers,
Agency: EPA

Cordova, IL

Company: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.
Business: Chemical manufacturer
Penalty: $143,800
Reasons for penalty/fine: Inspectors found hazardous wastes stored:
* without permits or labels, and
* in leaking or damaged containers
Agency: EPA

Des Plaines, IL

Company: UOP, LLC
Business: Chemical research and development lab
Penalty: $6,188 (final)
Reasons for penalty: The lab failed to immediately report a 36-lb. benzene release to state, local and national emergency agencies.  UOP also failed to file required EPCRA follow-up reports on the incident.  Releases of 10 lbs or more of benzene trigger EPCRA reporting.  UOP reported the release the next day.
SEP: UOP also must spend $84,060 on environmental restoration projects.
Agency: EPA

Effingham, IL

Company: Quebecor Petty Printing, Co.
Business: Printer
Penalty: $60,500 (proposed)
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company was cited for:
* installing presses without required new source review permits, and
* exceeding allowable limits by using too much ink and emitting too many bolatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Agency: EPA

Rock Island, IL

Company: McLauglin Body Co.
Business: Auto parts maker
Penalty: $62,489, plus an SEP
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm:
* stored hazardous wastes such as spent solvents at its facility for more than 90 days without a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Permit, and
* failed to keep required hazardous waste job descriptions, training records, or a contingency plan
SEP: The company agreed to spend $42,000 to install and use a heat cleaning oven
Agencies: EPA and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Rock Island, IL

Individuals and company: Teresa Cook, Taylor Ridge, IL; Dale Roseman, Orion, IL; and four other employees of Curry Environmental Services, Inc.
Business: Asbestos removal
Penalty: $1 million fine for CES. Roseman faces up to 20 years in jail and/or fines of up to $1 million if convicted. Cook must pay a fine of $20,000.
Reason for penalty/fine: Improper removal and handling of asbestos
Note: The other four indicted employees each face up to five years in jail and/or fines of up to $250,000
Agencies: EPA, Illinois EPA, Illinois State Police and the Illinois Attorney General's Office

Oak Brook Terrace, IL

Company: Wozniak Industries, Inc.
Business: Metal vehicle parts maker
Penalty: $35,600
Reasons for penalty/fine: In 1991 and 1992 the firm didn't tell state or federal regulators about its use of nickel and manganese, both toxic materials under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
Agency: EPA

Coal City, IL

Melrose Park, IL

Company: Alberto-Culver USA, Inc
Business: Cosmetics manufacturer
Agency: EPA
Fine: $164,544
Reasons for fine: The company was penalized for:
*storing eight 55-gallon drums for more than 180 days (at which point a permit is required)
*not doing required weekly inspections of stored hazardous materials, and
*not labeling drums with dates.
Note:  The violations were uncovered during a routine inspection

Alton, IL

Company: Laclede Steel Co.
Business: Steel mill.
Penalty: $109,189, plus an SEP.

Bensenville, IL

Company: Print Flex, Inc.
Business: Printer
Penalty: Up to $27,500/day/violation
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company failed to:
*get new source review (NSR) permit approval before building and operating four printing lines that emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and
*prove it was controlling emissions at the lowest achievable rate.
Agency: EPA

Village of Freeburg, IL

Organization: Village of Freeburg, IL
Business: Municipal government
Penalty: $23,000
Reason for penalty/fine: The town constructed two new generators without obtaining permits.
Note: Previous good behavior helped this company.  For five years, it had kept emissions of nitrous oxides (NOx) at levels far below those allowed in it permits.  So when it didn't get the permits for its new generators, regulators gave it a break on the penalty.
Agency: EPA

Lemont, IL

Company: CITGO Petroleum Corp
Business: Oil Refinery
Penalty: EPA has issued a preliminary finding of violations, but hasn't yet decided on a penalty
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company failed to adequately control benzene emissions.  It also didn't provide appropriate records for benzene wastes.
Note: The violations were uncovered during an EPA investigation
Agency: EPA

Palatine, IL

Company: Amoco Oil Company
Business: Company-owned service station
Penalty: $2.2 million (final)
Reason for penalty/fine: Leaks from underground storage tanks owned by the company contaminated the soil and groundwater at an adjacent shopping center, meaning the owners couldn't sell the properly at fair market value
Note: Amoco must also pay for cleanup cost incurred by the owners of the shopping center
Agency: EPA

Decatur, IL

Company: Archer Daniels Midland
Business: Corn processor
Fine: Up to $27,000 per day per violation

Riverdale, IL

Company: Acme Steel Co
Business: Steel manufacturer
Penalty: $15,000 (final)
Reasons for penalty: The operation improperly stored hazardous wastes and failed to develop written RCRA waste containment plans
Agency: EPA

INDIANA

Yorktown, IN

Company: Marsh Supermarkets, Inc.
Business: Food store chain
Penalty: $57,032 (proposed)
Reason for penalty/fine: The company didn't report the release of 1,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia after a rooftop refrigeration system malfunctioned
Note: Releases of over 100 pounds of the chemical must be reported to the National Response Center and state and local emergency planning groups within 15 minutes
Agency: EPA

Ft. Wayne, IN

Company: Foamex L.P.
Business: Polyurethane products
Penalty: $27,500 (proposed)
Reason for penalty/fine: The company didn't report an accidental release of 21,000 pounds of toluene diisocyanate (TDI)
Note: TDI releases of over 100 pounds must be reported to national, state and local emergency agencies.
Agency: EPA

Flora, IN

Company: Plymouth Fertilizer
Business: Fertilizer processor
Fine: Although the company wasn't fine, it was forced to undertake several pollution control measures.
Reasons for fine: Operation had odor and permitting problems
Note: Instead of a fine, the company had to accept a number of new plant procedures, including installation of a condenser, a plant enclosure, two scrubbers and a biofilter
Agency: Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Elkhart, IN

Company: Elkhart Products Corp
Business: Copper tubing maker
Penalty: $30,000
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm exceeded chromium emission levels from an uncontrolled stack
Agency: EPA

Gary, IN

Company: USX Corporation, d/b/a U.S. Steel Gary Works
Business: Steel mill
Penalty: $207,000 plus an SEP estimated to cost $1.95 million
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company was cited for over 50 violations, including many instances when the firm failed to abide by the strict monitoring and reporting requirements of a 1996 agreement with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)
SEP: USX self-reported many of the violations.  For the SET, the company must replace one blast furnace to reduce particulate, sulfur dioxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
Agency: IDEM

Harrison County, IN

Individual & company: Alan Blackman, owner, 3-B Barrel & Drums Company
Business: Recycler
Penalty: Three years in jail (suspended to three years probation)
Reason for penalty/fine: Blackman and his company failed to comply with orders to remove all waste from the site.  The waste included tires, abandoned vehicles, batteries and roofing materials.
Note: If Blackman doesn't clean up the site by Jan 1, 2003, his probation will be revoked, and he will serve three years in jail.  The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (EDEM) will supervise the cleanup and removal efforts.
Agencies: EPA and IDEM

East Chicago, IN

Company: LTV Steel Co
Business: Steel mill
Penalty: A fine of $84,500 and mandated changes to its processes
Reasons for penalty/fine: The mill emitted soot from its blasting furnace and casting process in excess of Clean Air Act requirements.
Note: under the agreement it reached with regulators, LTV must blow nitrogen gas beneath its blast furnace trough during casting process.  That will reduce oxygen levels and lower emissions of particulate matter.
Agency: Indiana Department of Environmental Management

East Chicago, IN

Company: Inland Steel
Business: Steel Mill
Penalty: $248, 171 plus an SEP
Reasons for penalty/fines:  The company violated hazardous waste storage and disposal rules by:
* disposing of baghouse dust without a permit
* failing to pretreat the dust before storage 
*storing the dust in the open< and 
* keeping it in unlabeled containers
Note: For the SEP the firm must remove contaminated soils from the area and put a building around its hazardous waste loading area to prevent future contamination.
Agency: EPA

Indianapolis, IN

Company: Industrial Coating Services
Business: Painting and coating
Penalty: Under a plea agreement the firm will pay a $50,000 fine and be put on probation for two years
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm is charged with violating the Clean Water Act by:
* discharging industrial waste, including paint, into a creek without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, and 
* releasing paint waste into the Indianapolis sewer system without notifying city authorities.
Note: If the terms of the probation aren't met, the firm could have to pay another $50,000
Agencies: EPA, FBI and the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, Environmental Resources

Hammond, IN

Company: Keil Chemical Division of Ferro Corporation
Individual: Nathan Koons, AquaPro
Business: Plastic flame retardant material manufacturer
Reason for penalty/fine: The plant failed to meet the required 98% reduction in volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, and didn't report emissions from part of its process.
Note: The company was given three weeks to make changes to its operation to immediately reduce VOC emissions and install control devices.  Failure to do so could lead to fines of $1,000/day
Agencies: EPA

Hammond, IN

Company: BP Corp., 
Business: Petroleum refiner
Penalty: $10 million (final)
reasons for penalty: The company failed to monitor and reduce ozone-creating emissions, as required under the CAA, at eight of its refineries.
Note: BP was forced to upgrade control technology to reduce ozone emissions by more than 40,000 tons/year.  BP will also improve leak detection and repair practices to reduce benzene and other volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
Agencies: EPA and the DOJ

Floyd Knobs, IN

Individual: Nathan Koons, AquaPro
Business: Industrial services
Penalty: Koons faces three years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
Reason for penalty/fine: Koons violated his company's Clean Water Act (CWA) discharge permit by directing employees to pump up to 400,000 gallons to sludge directly into a creek.
Agencies: Kentucky Division of Water, the FBI and EPA's Criminal Investigation Division.

Shelbyville, IN

Company: K-T Corp
Business: Metal goods manufacturer
Agency: EPA
Fine: The company was cited, but a penalty hasn't yet been determined.
Reason for fine: The company was cited for:    
*not monitoring pollution control devices
*not making sure older equipment complied with new EPA emission standards, and 
*not keeping required records notifying EPA of chemical usage.  Note: The company had been using a batch vapor cleaner since 1963, but had to comply with new emissions regulations in 1997.  Without emission control monitors, the company had no way of documenting its compliance.

Kokomo, IN

Individual: Robert Marshall, CEO and chairman of the board, Master Circuits, Inc.
Business: Printed circuit board manufacturer
Penalty: Five months in prison, five months of home detention, one year of supervised release and a fine of $5,000
Reason for penalty/fine: Marshall pleaded guilty to felony charges of illegally discharging copper and other toxic wastes.
Note: Marshall bypassed city sewer monitoring systems to discharge untreated toxic wastestreams.
Agencies: Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Environmental Crimes Task Force, EPA's Criminal Investigation Division (CID), the FBI and local police and fire departments

New Albany, IN

Individuals & Company: Marvin Friedman, former owner, Wayne Friedman, VP, both of Metalite
Business: Aluminum coater
Penalty: For the Friedman's, up to 22 years in prison and fines of up to $2.75 million; for Metalite, a fine of up to $5.5 million
Reason for penalty: Illegally discharging wastewater in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA)
Note: The two are accused of knowingly discharging acidic chemical waste and industrial process wastewater into a tributary of the Ohio River.
Agencies: EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Crawfordsville, IN

Company: Koch Fertilizer Storage and Terminal Co.
Business: Terminal and warehouse
Penalty: $82,500 (proposed)
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm didn't report the accidental release of 973 lbs of anhydrous ammonia to the county emergency agency until a month after the incident
Note: After thunderstorms shut down power at the facility, the anhydrous ammonia escaped from a refrigeration system.  The firm notified the National Response Center and the appropriate state agency, but not the county.
Agency: EPA

Schererville, IN

Company: V.C. Tank Lines, Inc.
Business: Chemical hauler
Fine: $191,162 plus $8,838 in evacuation costs to repay the town, county and local Red Cross
Reason for fine: The firm didn't have a permit to store chemicals at its facility, but it kept hazardous materials at the site for five years anyway.
Note: When one of the chemicals looked ready to explode, area residents had to be evacuated
Agencies: EPA and U.S. Department of Justice

Evansville, IN

Company: Alcoa, Inc.
Business: Aluminum casting manufacturer
Penalty: $2.4 million (final)
Reasons for penalty: The company was cited for:
* improperly pretreating discharges to the Ohio River in violation of its Clean Water Act (CWA) permit, and 
* exceeding opacity limits set in its Clean Air Act (CAA) permit for sic furnaces.
SEP: Alcoa also agreed to spend:
* $5.4 million to reduce hazardous waste generation at its Warrick County plant, and 
*$1 million to study new air pollution reduction technology for its facility.
Agency: EPA

Valparaiso, IN

Company: South Haven Water Works
Business: Wastewater treater
Penalty: Ordered to stop taking in industrial wastewater immediately.  Fine has not been set yet
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm's permit only allowed it to receive and treat household waste, but it took industrial waste too.  This led to a lot of foaming and excessive releases of ammonia.
Note: EPA hasn't decided whether to take the firm to court of hit it with a fine
Agency: EPA

IOWA

Cedar Falls, IA

Individual & company: Mikkel Mandt, owner, Fiberdyne Inc.
Business: Fiberglass manufacturer
Penalty: $60,000 plus three years of probation for the company.  Four months in jail, two years probation and $15,000 for Mandt
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm illegally disposed of acetone by: 
* burning it, and
* tossing containers full of chemical residue into dumpsters which went to a local landfill
Agencies: EPA and DOJ

Howard County, IA

Company: Trace, Inc., d/b/a Tip Farm No. 15
Business: Factory hog farm
Penalty: $40,000 
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm discharged untreated manure into a creek
Note: A court said the firm was negligent because workers:
* allowed a retaining berm to erode 
* didn't prevent blockage of a crossover pipe, and
* power-washed manure off buildings, but failed to monitor the effects
Agencies: EPA, Iowa Attorney General's Office, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Howard County Sheriff

KANSAS

Wichita, KS

Company: Koch Oil Industries
Business: Crude Oil Transport
Agency: EPA
Fine: $35 million 
Reason for fine: After compliant files in 1995 and 1997 the company was charged for illegally discharging crude oil and petroleum products in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Alabama.  Note:  The company must pay $15 million of the $30 million penalty into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, created in 1990 following the Exxon Valdez incident in Alaska.

KENTUCKY

Ghent, KY

Company: Gallatin Steel Company
Business: Steel mill
Penalty: $450,000, plus an SEP valued at $700,000
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm:
* exceeded emission permit limits
* built emission sources without obtaining Clean Air Act permits
* failed to install or operate pollution control equipment, and
* failed to apply for a prevention of significant deterioration pre-construction review
SEP: The company agreed to improve its emission modeling system.
Agency: EPA

LOUISIANA

Baton Rouge, LA

Company: Enviro-Comp Laboratories, Inc., Shawn Decareaux-Kilgarlin, president/owner
Business: Perform water tests for clients who were required to meet state environmental regulations under an EPA-delegated program
Penalty: Decareaux-Kilgarlin was sentenced to spend one year in prison and pay a $3,000 fine.  Enviro-Comp will pay a $7,000 fine and serve five years of probation.
Reason for penalty/fine: Whilte preparing for a DEQ pre-accreditation audit, Decareaux-Kilgarlin knowingly made false statements in Enviro-Comp's log books and certification analyses relative to water testing for the purpose of misleading the DEQ auditor.
Note: In addition, she directed Enviro-Comp's employees to falsify the company's log books and certification analyses.  Decareaux-Kilgarlin also paid a former employee to provide false information to an EPA special agent and further promised the employee additional funds for providing false testimony at any subsequent trial.
Agency: EPA

Intracoastal City, LA

Company: Intracoastal Liquid Mud, Inc
Business: Mud producer
Penalty: Two years supervised probation plus a $240,000 fine
Reason for penalty/fine: For six years, the company dumped water from waste pits and cargo tanks into the Vermillion River without a permit.  The wastewater included oil-based drilling mud, calcium chloride, barite and cement.
Note: The firm must also: 
* clean up the site
* adopt internal wastewaste controls
* get stormwater permits
* train workers to handle wastewater 
* designate an environmental manager, and 
* hire a firm to conduct environmental audits
Agencies: Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, EPA, FBI, and the US Coast Guard

Bogalusa, LA

Individual: Jim Miller
Business: Waste hauler
Penalty: Two years in prison
Reason for penalty/fine: Miller didn't have a permit when he knowingly dumped a styrene monomer into a drainage ditch which flowed into a creek.
Note: Not only did the release kill 10,000 fish in the creek, but 100 homes and an elementary school had to be evacuated to prevent exposure to the chemical.
Agencies: EPA, Genevieve County Sheriff's Department, Missouri Dept. of Natrual Resources, and Missouri Dept. of Conservation.

St. Rose, LA

Company: International matrix Tank Terminal
Business: Truck tank manufacturer
Penalty: $800,000 (final)
Reason for penalty: The company illegally moved a sample-collection point to make its discharges appear cleaner than they were.  The company was trying to conceal the fact that it routinely had problems meeting its CWA permit discharge limits for chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels.
Note: The company was ordered to pay a $400,000 fine and an additional $400,000 in restitution.
Agencies: EPA, the FBI, the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Louisiana State Police.

Sulphur, LA

Company: Westlake Petrochemicals Corp
Business: Chemical processor
Penalty: $305,830 for federal violations; $22,854 for state ones
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm violated hazardous waste storage and management regulations by failing to:
* properly sample, test and store waste, including mercury and chloroform
* cover waste containers of benzene-soaked rags
* routinely inspect hazardous waste storage areas
* control smoke from a flare and report the violation
* label leaking equipment
* report the use of chlorine dioxide or pyrolysis oil on its Toxic release Inventory (TRI), and 
* provide employee training for chemical handling and emergency response procedures
Note: The violations were discovered during a series of joint federal and state inspections 
Agencies: EPA, Louisiana DEQ

MAINE

Saco, ME

Company: Saco Defense, Inc.
Business: Weapons manufacturer
Fine: $195,945 (proposed)
Reasons for fine: On two occasions, the company exceeded emission limits for chromium.  It also didn't follow regulations on reporting, recordkeeping and monitoring.
Note: Regulators inspected the facility after the company itself reported that one of its three scrubbers had failed a chromium-emissions test.
Agency: EPA

Cutler, ME

Company:  Abhe & Svoboda, Inc., at a worksite in Cutler, ME
Business: Specialty painting contractor 
Why inspected: Investigation into incident when a scaffold fell 67 feet on a cable, throwing one worker to his death and seriously injuring another
Fine: $383,500
Reasons for fine:
Five willful citations ($350,00) including:
* Unauthorized modifications to scaffolds
* Employees working on the scaffold not protected against falls by means of a personal fall arrest system
Seven serious citations ($33,500) including:
* Competent person did not inspect each scaffold
* Walking and working surface of the primary scaffold was deteriorated; its strength had not been evaluated.

MARYLAND

Accokeek, MD

Company: Beretta U.S.A. Corp.
Business: Gun Maker
Penalty: $18,136, plus a $72, 800 SEP
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm was cited for operating a chrome electroplater without:
* testing or monitoring emissions, or
* operating and maintaining it according to federal guidelines
Note: The firm must clean up lead contamination by trapping used bullets and lead dust from two test-firing ranges at the facility
Agency: EPA

Greenbelt, MD

Company: Interstate General company, L.P.
Business: Developer
Fine: $1.5 million
Reason for penalty/fine: The developer filled in wetlands on either side of a stream that eventually flowed into the Potomac River
Note: The firm must also take action to protect and remediate155 acres of wetlands.
Agencies: EPA, the FBI and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Kensington, MD

Company: Bardon, Inc.
Business: Concrete maker
Penalty: $50,000
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm was cited for 
* failing to implement a storm water pollution prevention plan
* illegally discharging wastewater into a creek, and 
* failing to collect water samples or file the monitoring reports its permits required.
Note: The company must also develop a corrective action plan to prevent discharge, monitoring and reporting violations
Agency: Maryland Department of the Environment

Baltimore, MD

Luke, MD

Company: Westvaco Corp
Business: Pulp and Paper mills
Fine: $27,500 per day/violation (proposed)
Reason for fine: Westvaco is charged with avoiding CAA's new source review permitting when it expanded operations during the 1980's.  Such a review would have required new emission control systems for nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particular emissions.  Other charges include: violating visible emission limits and failing to meet standards for brown-stock washer systems.  
Agency: EPA

St. Mary's Country, MD
Prince Georges County, MD

MASSACHUSETTS

Braintree, MA
Brighton, MA
Mendon, MA

Company: Diversified Contracting, GW Construction Company, Metropolitan Scaffold Services
Business: Contractors
Why inspected: Investigation into deaths of two workers after a scaffold collapsed.
Fine: Diversified Contracting, $230,600; GW Contracting, $77,100; Metropolitan, Inc. $6,000
Reason for fine: Four willful citations each to Diversified Contracting and GW Construction for:
*Loading a scaffold beyond its manufacturer's rated capacity
*Directing inexperienced, untrained employees to alter the scaffold
*Allowing brick and mortar from demolition work to accumulate on the scaffold platform
*Failing to train workers on scaffold hazards
Two serious citations to Metropolitan Scaffold Services Inc., for:
*Failing to ensure the scaffold was firmly supported
*Erecting a scaffold 19 frames high with cross bracing missing from a base section

Ipswich, MA

Individual: Frederick Fish, owner of Raggs Inc.
Business: Sewage hauler
Penalties: Fish faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Reasons for penalty: Fish is charged with dumping sewage and restaurant wastes into the city sewer system to avoid paying treatment fees.  In addition to the CWA violations, Fish is also charged with fraud for pocketing the treatment fees he collected from his customers.
Agencies: EPA's CID and teh U.S. Attorney's Office.

Canton, MA

Company: PSI, Inc.
Business: Engineering firm
Agency: OSHA
Fine: $41,000
Reasons for fine: The company was fined for:
* permitting smoking in an area where there were flammable liquids 
* not grounding or bonding 55-gallon drums of a flammable liquid to protect against accidental ignition
* not marking five exits (missing exit signs in two instances) and allowing two other exits to be blocked
* not properly labeling circuit breakers, and 
* storing materials on a raised platform that was unguarded
Note: The inspection was prompted by an employee complaint.

Holyoke, MA

Company: Edaron, Inc.
Business: Puzzle manufacturer
Agency: OSHA
Fine: $97,400
Reasons for fine: The company was penalized for having: 
* equipment without proper machine guards
* forklifts that didn't have required seatbelts
* an underground lighting fixture 
* an insufficient lockout/tagout program
* an improperly constructed work platform that was raised with a forklift, and
* improperly marked exits
Note: The company was inspected twice: first after a worker had fingers on both hands cut off in a puzzle press; second, after a fatal accident when a worker fell from a makeshift platform that had been raised by a forklift

Northborough, MA

Company: Zecco, Inc
Business: Hazardous waste storage facility
Penalty: $112,407 (final)
Reasons for penalty/fine: Zecco failed to notify EPA and modify its Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit when it started accepting wastes containing benzene.
Note: After the company discovered the violation, it updated its permits and is now legally accepting benzene wastes.
Agency: EPA

Fall River, MA

Company: Nu Chrome Corp.
Business: Metal plater
Penalty: $206,425 (proposed)
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company was charged with: 
* storing hazardouse wastes for more than 180 days without a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit
* failing to conduct weekly inspections of storage areas, and
* improperly labeling hazardous waste containers.
Note: The company was cited as part of a federal/state program to control hazardous pollutants released by the metals industry.
Agency: EPA

New Bedford, MA

Companies: Maritime Terminal, Inc.; Bridge Terminal, Inc.; and Crystal Ice Co.
Business: Maritime and Bridge are seafood packagers; Crystal is an ice maker
Penalty: $18,489 each
Reason for penalty/fine: All three firms failed to report their use and storage of large quantities of ammonia as required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know-Act (EPCRA)
Note: The violations were discovered during inspections held less than a month after these firms and others in the area were invited to an EPA workshop on EPCRA.
Agency: EPA

Lowell, MA

Company: Bradford Industries
Business: Manufacturer of a variety of materials, including the fabric used for safety air bags in passenger cars
Why inspected? Investigation into an explosion and fire which left one employee with serious injuries, including severe burns
Fine: $160,000
Reasons for fine:
One willful citation
* Failing to comply with fire protection regulations for processes that involve using flammable materials, including failure to have an adequate safety device in working order
More that 40 serious citations, including
* Allowing employees to handle rags soaked with solvents without gloves
* Failing to label containers of solvents
* Storing compressed gas cylinders in the main aisle where forklifts were operated
* Failing to provide adequate emergency exit routes
* Failing to train workers on confined space hazards

Boston, MA

Company: Hoyts Cinema Corp
Business: Movie theatre operation
Reason for penalty/fine: The company hired a contractor to build a new multi-plex theatre, but the construction firm failed to follow federal stormwater permitting requirements to ensure site stabilization and control of erosion and runoff
Note: After a site visit by regulators confirmed the violation, the firm abandoned the site, leaving the property owner with the cleanup bill.  The visit was part of a new focus on stormwater controls by EPA Region 1 regulators.
Agency: EPA

Boston, MA

Company: City of Boston
Business: Municipal government
Penalty: $60,660 (proposed)
Reasons for penalty/fine: The city failed to:
* maintain a vapor collection and cotrol system on fuel pumps, and
* set up an oil spill prevention plan
Agency: EPA

Lawerence, MA

Company: Adtec Electroplating, Inc.
Penalty: $318,218 (proposed)
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm:
*failed to separate incompatible hazwastes
*stored hazwastes more than 90 days
*failed to keep hazwaste containers closed, and 
*lacked a complete contingency plan.
NOTE: Adtec was one of four firms cited in a recent enforcement sweep of RCRA compliance in the metals industry.

Worchester and Shrewsbury, MA

Company: Neles-Jamesbury, Inc.
Business: Valve manufacturer
Penalty: $82,640 plus an SEP estimated to cost $260,750.
Reason for penalty/fine: From 1987 to 1990 the company failed to turn in information about its processing of chromium, nickel and copper required under EPCRA
Note: Under the SET the firm will buy an automated materials screening system to assess the environmental impact of materials it buys and uses.
Agency: EPA

MICHIGAN

St. Claire Shores, MI

Individual: James Morgan, owner and president, Morgan Artcraft Screen Print, Inc.
Business: Printer
Penalty: Eight months in jail
Reason for penalty/fine: Morgan paid a vendor $1,000 to illegally dispose of thousands of containers filled with hazardous waste inks, some flammable or containing lead.
Note: The containers were discovered in an abandoned warehouse.
Agencies: EPA, FBI, DOJ

Stevensville, MI

Company: Lakeshore Electro-Plate, Inc.
Business: Electroplater
Penalty: $59,974
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm kept hazardous chemicals at its facility, but didn't report them to state or local emergency response agencies.  The chemical weren't stored illegally.
Note: Chemicals the firm should have reported included hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.
Agency: EPA

Macomb County, MI

Individual: Luke Masinick former operator, Padovani Paints
Business: Paint manufacturer.
Penalty: Possible 15-month jail sentence
Reason for penalty: Masinick pleaded guilty to arranging to haul hazardous paint waste without a manifest as required by the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).  Note: To avoid conspiracy charges for dumping paint wastes and solvents along the highway, Masinick cooperated with the government against his two partners in the dumping scheme. 
Agencies: The FBI, EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and the local fire and police departments.

Romulus, MI

Company: Michigan Recovery Systems, Inc.
Business: Hazardous waste treatment.
Penalty: $32,000 (final).
Reasons for penalty: The company failed to contain fugitive emissions from its hazardous waste storage tanks.  The operation should have followed RCRA lead preventions rules by:
*installing closure devices on tank openings
*inspecting its tanks for leaks, and maintaining records of those inspections, and
*conducting vapor pressure tests.
Agency: EPA

Dearborn Heights, MI

Company: Elletson Building Demolition Co.
Business: Demolition company
Penalty: $13,500 (final)
Reason for penalty: Elletson was cited for railing to thoroughly inspect seven buildings for asbestos before beginning work as required by the Clean Air Act.  The company also failed to notify EPA about its plans to demolish the buildings.
Agency: EPA

Farmington Hills, MI

Individual: Edward Pedalino, owner, Chem Strip, Inc.
Business: Metal stripper
Penalty: Up to five years in jail and $50,000 per day o f the violation
Reasons for penalty/fine: Pedalino is charged with: 
* discharging caustic and acidic wastes into the Detroit sewers 
* lying on records filed with the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD)
* concealing test results that revealed the discharges, and 
* storing hazardous wastes illegally
Note: Even though his company was routinely dumping caustic and acidic wastes into city sewers, Pedalino repeatedly claimed only rinse water was being dumped down drains.
Agencies: EPA, FBI and DWSD

Highland Park, MI

Individual & company: William Jones, owner, Morgan Artcraft Screen Print Co.
Business: Printer
Penalty: $30,000 (final)
Reason for penalty/fine: Jones improperly disposed of several hazardous waste inks that were stored in an abandoned warehouse in Detroit.  Some of the inks were flammable and contained lead.
Note: Jones must serve 16 months in jail
Agencies: EPA and the FBI

Grand Rapids, MI

Company: Steelcase, Inc.
Business: Furniture maker
Penalty: $346,000 fine. Steelcase also agreed to convert to a powdered coating system and become emission-free by 2003.
Reason for fine:  The company was cited for failing to:
*control VOC emission limits at two coating lines
*operate pollution control equipment properly, and 
*keep adequate emission records.  Note: The violations were discovered during a routine check of the company's CAA emission records.
Agency: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

Detroit, MI

Company: Jennings Pump Co
Business: Pump manufacturer.
Penalty: $24,000 (proposed).
Reason for penalty/fine: The company failed to: 
*conduct an initial emissions compliance test on its electroplating operation in 1996, and
*keep emission monitoring records required by the CAA.
Agency: EPA

Detroit, MI

Company: SRS Environmental Services, Inc.
Business: Hazardous waste handler
Fine: $148,067
Reason for penalty/fine: Accepted oil mixed with hazardous waste without a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit
Note: The company must also submit a cleanup plan and a written plan for handling used oil in the future to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) 
Agencies: EPA and the Michigan DEQ

Detroit, MI

Company: Detroit Coke Corp.
Business: Coke maker
Penalty: $15,000
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm:
* didn't submit monthly monitoring reports on three hazardous waste disposal wells, and
* failed to maintain the required pressure for two other waste wells.
Agency: EPA

Detroit, MI

Company: Detroit Edison, Detroit
Business: Electricity utility
Penalty: $450,000 (final)
Reason for penalty: The company restarted one of its power plants without first obtaining a CAA permit, which would have required installation of new controls for toxic metal, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions.
Note: The utility also agreed to invest $10 million to convert from coal to natural gas as a power supply.
Agency: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

Wyandotte, MI

Company: Cadon Plating Co.
Business: Electroplater
Penalty: $2,950 (final)
Reason for penalty: Cadon failed to warn federal, state and local emergency response agencies that the company used nitrate and zinc compounds on site.  Such reporting is required under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
SEP: The company also agreed to: 
*spend at least $250,000 to install new control equipment to capture volatile organic compound emissions, and 
*obtain the CAA permits required before installing control equipment
Agency: EPA

MINNESOTA

Albert Lea, MN

Company: Venture Foods, LLC
Business: Food processor
Penalty: $34,553 fine (final)
Reason for penalty: Ventura failed to file proper notifications with local emergency officials advising them that the company was storing and using hazardous materials.
SEP: The company had to invest $128,905 in environmental projects to reduce the penalty paid.
Agency: EPA

Springs Grove, MN

Individual: Scott Sanness
Business: Livestock farmer
Penalty: He faces three years in jail and a $50,000 fine.
Reason for penalty: Sanness dumped over 150,000 gallons of a manure/water mixture from his animal feeding operation without a Clean Water Act (CWA) discharge permit.
Agency: EPA's CID

Crystal, MN

Company: TRC Circuits, Inc.
Business: Circuit board maker
Penalty: $31,046 (proposed)
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm didn't report its 1995 use of sulfuric acid to emergency responders until seven months after the deadline
Agency: EPA

Hampton, MN

Company: Schlomka Services
Business: Industrial wastewater service
Penalty: $6,050 (final)
Reason for Penalty: Schlomka hauled 600 gallons of corrosion inhibitor without a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit.
Agency: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Mankato, MN

Company: Northern States Power Co.
Business: Power generator
Penalty: $5,750 (final)
Reason for penalty/fine: The company exceeded Clean Air Act (CAA) emission limits for particulate matter from a waste-to-energy facility
Note: The problem was discovered after Northern conducted a stack test and realized its baghouse filters were worn. The company also agreed to develop a plan to avoid a repeat of the baghouse problem.
Agency: MPCA

Coon Rapids, MN

Company: Steris Corporation
Business: Medical equipment sterilization facility
Penalty: $7, 272 (final)
Reason for penalty/fine: Steris violated hazardous air pollutant (HAP) limits for ethylene oxide emissions when its incinerator fell below the required 99% destruction efficiency.  Testing revealed the unit was operating at only 96% destruction efficiency.
Note: The company also failed to notify MPCA of plans to repair the oxidizer as required by CAA shutdown regulations.
Agency: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)

Minneapolis, MN

Organization: Department of Public Works
Business: Government agency
Penalty: $3,906 (final).
Reasons for penalty/fine: The agency failed to file a hazardous chemical release report with the National Response Center (NRC) following a leak of 2,910 pounds of ammonia.  Note: The leak was immediately covered and contained by employees.  Local agencies were notified, but the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) also mandates that NRC be informed immediately after releases.
Agency: EPA

Roseville, MN

Company: U.S. Filter Recovery Services
Business: Commercial hazardous waste facility
Penalty: $5,935 (final)

Lamberton, MN

Individual: Warren Pankonin
Business: Farmer
Penalty: $2,500 (final).
Reasons for penalty: Pankonin failed to contain manure runoff that contaminated a local creek.
Note: Pankonin's fine was reduced from $10,000 because he developed and submitted a pollution prevention plan to prevent future manure runoff.
Agency: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

Rosemont, MN

Company: Koch Petroleum
Business: Oil Refinery
Penalty: $6 million in fines and $2 million for an SEP
Reason for penalty: The company pleaded guilty to violating its Clean Water Act permit.  Among other things, it put wastewater with high levels of ammonia into stormwater ponds and fire hydrant lagoons.  When the ponds and lagoons reached their capacities, the company discharged the wastewater onto the ground using its fire hydrants.  Altogether, it dumped 1 million gallons of high-ammonia wastewater.
Note: Part of the penalty was for violations of the Oil Pollution Act.  The refiner allowed fuel to leak from a tank.  Eventually, the fuel reached the Mississippi River.
Agencies: EPAs Criminal Investigation Division, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the FBI. 

Jackson, MN

Company: Ag-Chem Equipment Co
Business: Farm equipment manufacturer
Penalty: $5,325 (final)
Reason for fine: A hazardous waste inspection revealed several violations including failure to:
*track accumulations and disposal of hazardous wastes
*properly label hazardous waste containers, and
*segregate hazardous solvent rages from solid waste containers.
Agency: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)

Kasson, MN

Company: Kasson Wastewater Treatment Facility
Business: Wastewater treatment plant
Penalty: $27,000 (final).
Reason for fine: The facility failed to upgrade its capacity to handle overflow situations, as required under the CWA.  Note: The plant agreed to upgrade its system and notify the public of any future overflows.
Agency: MPCA

St Paul, MN

Company: Ford Motor Co
Business: Auto manufacturing plant.
Penalty: $55,000 (proposed).
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm didn't submit a number of emission monitoring reports required as part of its state-issued CAA pollution permit.
Agency: EPA

Faribault, MN

Company: Harry Brown's Inc.
Business: Car dealer
Penalty: $1,651 (final)
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm didn't train employees in proper waste-handling and emergency procedures, or evaluate wastes to see if they were hazardous.
Note: Since the company quickly corrected all violations and now complies with state regulations, $5,763 of the original $7,414 fine was forgiven and the company only has to pay $1,651
Agencies: EPA and the Michigan Pollution Control Agency

Duluth, MN

Company: LTV Steel Mining Co.
Business: Steel  mining
Penalty: $43,662 (final)
Reasons for penalty: The company exceeded CWA discharge permit limits for pollutants from a maintenance repair shop and failed to recover oil from numerous locomotive leaks.
Note: LTV has installed new wastewater control equipment and must set aside 25 wetland acres to replace wetlands that the company converted for wastewater collection.
Agencies: EPA, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

MISSISSIPPI

Moss Point, MS

Company: Morton International, Inc.
Business: Specialty chemicals
Penalty: $20 million in civil fines and $13 million in criminal penalties
Reasons for penalty: A Morton environmental manager falsified discharge reports to hide the types  and amounts of pollutants released from the facility.  Followup inspections revealed widespread violations of air, water and hazardous waste laws throughout the facility, including;
* disposing of hazardous wastes, including methyl ethyl ketone, in underground injection wells
* failing to report substantial releases of these materials as required under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act (EPCRA), and
* building and operating a new boiler without first obtaining a CAA permit
SEP: Morton agreed to:
* invest $16 million in a variety of environmental improvement projects, and 
* conduct third-part environmental audits at all 23 chemical facilities owned by Morton's parent company, Rohm and Haas
Agencies: EPA, the U.S. Justice Department and the Mississippi DEQ

Vicksburg, MS

Company: Johnson Properties, Inc.
Business: Operator of sewage treatment and drinking water plants.
Penalty: $4.36 million (final)
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company didn't properly operate and maintain six sewage treatment plants in southern Louisiana, and submitted false monitoring reports to EPA.
Agencies: EPA, the FBI, the US Department of Transportation, the US Postal Inspection Service and US Department of Justice.

Vicksburg, MS

Individual: John Cooke co-owner, M&S Petroleum
Business: Oil refinery
Penalty: Up to 50 years in jail and/or a $2.5 million fine
Reasons for penalty/fine: Cooke was charged with violating the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Clean Air Act (CAA) by:
*conspiring to illegally discharge benzene and other pollutants into the Mississippi River and Hatcher Bayou
*releasing benzene into the air
*failing to conduct required tests
*making false statements to investigators, and
*abandoning over one million gallons of hazardous wastes
Agencies: EPA, U.S. Departments of Transportation, FBI and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

Forest, MS

Individual & Company: Terrance Miller of Central Industries, Inc.
Business: Rendering plant
Penalty: $250,000 (proposed)
Reasons for penalty/fine: Under Miller's direction, the company discharged polluted wastwater into Shockaloo Creek, exceeding the limits spelled out in its permit.
Note: Miller also faces up to three years in jail and a period of supervised release
Agencies: Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Department of Justice

Forest, MS

Individual & Company: Terrance Miller of Central Industries, Inc.
Business: Rendering plant
Penalty: $250,000 (proposed)
Reasons for penalty/fine: Under Miller's direction, the company discharged polluted wastwater into Shockaloo Creek, exceeding the limits spelled out in its permit.
Note: Miller also faces up to three years in jail and a period of supervised release
Agencies: Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Department of Justice

Jackson, MS

Individual & Company: Tammy Etheridge, chairman of the board, Central Industries, Inc.
Business: Chicken processor
Penalty: Up to $500,000 to the company, and up to $250,000 to Etheridge on each of 1,100 counts of exceeding discharge limits.  Etheridge also faces up to three year prison if convicted.
Reasons for penalty/fine: Under the direction of Etheridge, the company violated its discharge permits by discharging waste into Schokaloo Creek.  It also failed to comply with permits and directives from Mississippi DEQ.
Note: The creek supplies drinking water to the city of Jackson, MS
Agencies: EPA, DEQ, FBI and the US Department of Justice

Individual: Johnny McCarty, co-owner, Central Industries, Inc.
Business: Poultry processor
Penalty: He faces one year in jail and $100,000 in fines; Central must pay a $13 million criminal fine
Reason for penalty: McCarty failed to upgrade Central's wastewater treatment plant, even though he knew it didn't have the capacity to treat increased loads.  Violations were so blatant that locals renamed a nearby stream "Bloody Creek"
Note: McCarty is the fourth Central executive to plead guilty to Clean Water Act (CWA) permit violations.
Agencies: EPA's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

MISSOURI

Kansas City, MO

Individual: Billy Stevens, co-owner, RS Services d/b/a Missouri Painting and Special Coatings
Business: Painting and coating
Penalty: Up to five years in jail and/or $250,000
Reason for penalty/fines: Stevens stored wastes at the facility for two years without a permit
Note: Wastes included: 
* petroleum-based liquids
* chlorinated compounds, and 
* spent solvents.
Agencies: EPA, DOJ

New Madrid, MO

Company: Noranda Aluminum, Inc.
Business: Aluminum producer
Penalty: $120,000 (final) 
Reasons for penalty: The company violated RCRA waste management regulations by:
* failing to conduct hazardous-waste determinations on personal protective equipment
* accumulating hazardous wastes without a RCRA permit beyond the 90-day storage limits, and 
* failing to clean up spills from its emulsion oil and hydraulic tanks
Agency: EPA

Kingsville, MO

Company: Essex Waste Management
Business: Waste hauler
Penalty: Up to $500,000 and five years probation
Reason for penalty/fine: The firm illegally stored aerosol cans containing flammable hazardous waste
Note: Vapors in the cans built up until they exploded and started a fire
Agencies: EPA, FBI and Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Cherryville, MO

Company: Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad
Business: Railroad
Penalty: $10 million, and an SEP estimated to cost $9 million
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm: 
* allowed lead sulfide-laden runoff water to reach a creek, and
* failed to tell appropriate government agencies about the release
Note: The SEP funds will pay to clean up the creek.
Agencies: EPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Missouri Attorney

Kennett, MO

Individuals and company: Steve Cooper, president; and George Russell, manager, Osceola Products Co.
Business: Cottonseed processor
Penalty: $150,000 for the company; six months confinement and a $20,000 fine for Cooper; six months confinement and $2,500 fine for Russell
Reasons for penalty/fine: The plant and managers were cited for: 
* releasing 2.5 million gallons of untreated wastewater containing hexane, seed oil and grease into a local creek for over a year
* ignoring warnings from regulators to make the facility compliant, and 
* waiting over a year to come into full compliance with discharge rules.
Note: The firm must also put a comprehensive environmental management program in place, publish a public apology to the community and report twice a year to a court on its compliance status
Agencies: Missouri Department of Natural Resources and EPA.

Salem, MO

Company: Heartland Metal Finishing, Inc.
Business: Metal finisher
Penalty: $170,000 fine, plus $48,404 to pay for sludge disposal.
Reason for penalty: The company violated its Clean Water Act (CWA) permit when an employee discharged plating wastewater containing zinc into city sewers.
Note: Even though management had no knowledge of the discharge, the company is still responsible.  Now Heartland must retain an independent environmental consultant to inspect and certify its compliance with federal and state regulations.
Agency: EPA

MONTANA

Libby, MT

Company: Stimson Lumber Co.
Business: Lumber company
Why inspected?: Worker was killed when a plywood stacking machine started up unexpectedly
Fine: $130,500
Reasons for fine: Three repeat violations ($85,000) for failure to: 
* Use lockout/tagout devices when servicing or maintaining equipment 
* Provide machine guarding for dangerous equipment
* Provide standard railing adjacent to or above dangerous equipment 
Ten serious citations, ($45,500) including failure to:
* Provide guardrails on open-sided floors or platforms
* Develop, document or use lockout/tagout procedures to control hazardous energy
* Guard rotating parts

NEBRASKA

Omaha, NE

Company: Union Pacific Railroad
Business: Railroad
Penalty: $800,000 (final)
Reasons for penalty: A series of derailments spilled oil, fuel and hazardous pollutants into state waterways, Any discharge of oil or hazardous substances is prohibited under the Clean Air Act.  Note: The company also agreed to invest in locomotive fuel tank upgrades to meet new crash-worthiness tests, equip trains with fuel tank, patch kits and educated operators on emergency leak repair techniques.
Agencies: U.S. Justice Department's Environmental Division, EPA and the Federal Railroad Administration.

NEVADA

Amargosa, NV

Company: Rockview Farms, Inc. d/b/a Ponderosa Dairy
Business: Mil producer
Penalty: $25,000, plus an SEP estimated to cost $16,900
Reason for penalty: Firm failed to fix a leaking valve at a wastewater lagoon.  The leak led to the discharge of 1.7 million gallons of urine-and -feces-contaminated wastewater into the desert and the Amargosa River, eight miles away
Agencies: EPA, California Department of Fish and Game, Nevada DEP and the regional Water Quality Control Board

Las Vegas, NV

Companies: Southern Nevada Paving, Inc., and Las Vegas Paving Corporation, both of Las Vegas.
Business: Asphalt pavers
Penalty: $103,000 to Southern Nevada Paving and $82,500 to Las Vegas Paving
Reasons for penalty: Emissions of dust and diesel engine exhaust at both facilities exceeded permitted levels.
Note: To further reduce emissions, Southern Nevada Paving must repolace older equipment with cleaner machines costing $650,000.  Las Vegas Paving must retrofit one diesel engine with control devices to reduce emissions, and obtain proper permits for five new engines.
Agency: EPA

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Londonderry, NH

Company: Kluber's Lubrication North America
Business: Lubricant Processor
Penalty: $2.3 million (final)
Reason for penalty/fine: The company imported hazardous products that weren't listed on its inventory or transportation manifests.
Note: $250,000 of the fine will fun a SEP chosen by the company, subject to the apporval of EPA.
Agency: EPA

Troy, NH

Company: Troy Mills, Inc.
Business: Fabric maker
Penalty: $75,000 (final)
Reasons for penalty/fine: For 23 months, the firm failed to monitor discharges from its cooling water into the Ashuelot River.  The company also falsified reports for the months it did monitor-regulators found the reports to be identical to those from one year earlier.
Note: Troy Mills must also pay $10,239 to perform a pollution prevention assessment of all its wastes.
Agency: EPA

Concord, NH

Company: Crowley Foods, Inc.
Business: Food processor
Penalty: $7,735, plus and SEP valued at $55,317
Reason for penalty/fine: The company released 2,200 pounds of ammonia but didn't tell state or federal officials about it, as required by the Emergency response procedures.  It also had to make similar improvements at its other facilities. 
Agency: EPA

Hudson, NH

Company: Concrete Systems, Inc.
Business: Manufacturer of precast concrete products
Why inspected? Part of OSHA's enforcement program targeting firms with higher-than-aerage injury and illness rates
Fines: $45,403
Reasons for fine: Two repeat citations ($3,000)
* Inadequate strain relief for a power cord
* Failure to require employees to consistently use eye protection while operating woodworking equipment, such as circular saws
Twenty serious citations (42,403) including
* Unguarded hand-fed ripsaw
* Unguarded chop saws 
* Employees exposed to falls because they stood on barrels to do work
* No work platform where employees were working above machinery
* Forklift truck operators not requipred to sound their horns at cross aisles or when vision was obstructed
* Forklifts with defective horns not removed from service

Pittsfield, NH

Company: Suncook Leather, Inc
Business: Tannery
Penalty: $123,500 (proposed)
Reasons penalty/fine:  The company was cited for:
* discharging wastewater without a permit 
* failing to apply for a wastewater discharge permit
* not filing annual reports on wastewater pretreatment, and
* failing to update its spill prevention plan since 1974
Note: The violations were discovered during two routine inspections
Agency: EPA

NEW JERSEY

Lakewood, NJ

Individual: William Moskowitz, president of Sav-Cote Chemical Laboratories
Penalty: $60,000 fine, $607,514 in clean up costs and serve a six-month home confinement
Reason for penalty/fine: The owner pleaded guilty in March 2000 to seven counts of storing and disposing of solvents such as xylene, toluene and methyl ethyl ketone without a RCRA permit.
Note: Some of those chemicals leaked into the ground.
Agency: EPA

Weehawken, NJ

Company: Arcorp Properties
Business: Marina operator
Penalty: $26,630
Reasons for penalty/fine: The company was cited for:
* not testing underground fuel tanks for leaks, and 
* suggesting in reports that the tests had been done
Note: The firm didn't perform leak tests on any of its four, 6,000 gallon diesel tanks for 17 months.
Agency: EPA

Morris Plains, NJ

Company: Airton, Division of Litton Systems, Inc.
Business: Semiconductor manufacturer
Why inspected? Anonymous complaint about a spill of inorganic arsenic which required sending three employees to the hospital for observation
Fine: $161,500
Reasons for fine: 
Two willful citations
* Failing to establish regulated areas for employees exposed to inorganic arsenic above the permissible exposure limit
* Failing to properly train employees on the hazards associated with inorganic arsenic
Twelve serious citations, including failure to:
* Provide safety glasses to employees wearing prescription lenses
* Ensure that employees were not exposed to inorganic arsenic over the permissible exposure limit
* Use engineering controls to protect workers from chemical hazards

Highlands, NJ

Individuals: Christian Hansen, chairman of the board, the Hanlin Group, Inc., Highlands, NJ and Alfred Taylor, plant manager, LCP Chemicals, Brunswick, GA
Business: Chemical Manufacturing
Penalty: Nine years in prison and $200,000 in fines for Hansen; sic-and-one half years in jail for Taylor. 
Reason for penalty/fine: Both men:
*conspired to operate the LCP facility in violation of environmental laws, and
*knowingly endangered employees by exposing them to dangerous working conditions, including the presence of mercury vapors.
Agencies: EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

North Bergen, NJ

Company: Prime Moving & Storage, Inc.
Business: Moving and storage
Agency: DOT
Fine: $7,000
Reason for fines: The company was fined for:
*failing to charge their applicable tariff rate
*failing to participate in a dispute settlement program (arbitration)
*failing to provide household goods shippers the booklet "Your Rights and Responsibilities When you Move" 
*leasing owner-operators without a valid written lease
*failing to obtain weight tickets in the prescribed form and manner
*accepting credit cards for payment without a valid tariff reference

NEW MEXICO

Vado, NM

Individual & Company: Orlando Cervantes, vice president, Cervantes Enterprises, Inc.
Business: Chili pepper processor
Penalty: Three years probation for Cervantes, $100,000 for the firm.
Reason for penalty/fine: The company discharged wastewater containing plant material into a drainage ditch which emptied into the Rio Grande river.
Note: Although the plant matter isn't a hazardous waste, it reduced oxygen levels in the river and killed fish.
Agency: EPA

Rio Rancho, NM

Company: Sparton Corporation, Inc.,
Business: Electronic components manufacturer
Fine: $1.65 million (final)
Reason for fine: Toxic chemicals stored in the company's tanks seeped into the soil and groundwater in amounts exceeding federal drinking water and state groundwater limits.
Note: The company agreed to invest up to $20 million to install a groundwater recovery system, operate a soil vapor extraction system to remove contaminants from the soil and investigate other technologies it could use to speed up decontamination of the site.
Agencies: EPA and the US Department of Justice

NEW YORK

Amherst, NY

Company: Innovative Chemical Corporation
Business: Chemical processor
Penalty: $15,000, plus a $60,000 SEP and three years probation
Reasons for penalty/fine: The firm sent wastewater that had a pH level lower than allowed to a local wastewater treatment plant.  Acidity levels under 5.0 are too corrosive
Note: The violations were uncovered when regulators secretly tested the firms wastewater.  For the SEP, the operation must install equipment to monitor pH levels and reimburse the town's investigation costs.
Agencies: EPA, IRS, New York State Attorney General's office, Amherst Wastewater Treatment Plant and Amherst Engineering Department

Chili, NY

Individual & company: Sidney Spector, owner, Spector Waste Paper Corp
Business: Solid waste handler
Penalty: $400,000 fine.  Under a consent agreement, Spector must also sell the company
Reason for penalty/fine: The company regularly accepted more waste at the transfer station than allowed by its permits
Note: The company's operating permits limited the business to taking in 385 tons of waste per day.  In fact, the amount it actually received often went as high as 600 tons per day
Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Linden, NY

Municipality: City of Linden, the Linden Municipal Airport Development Corp., and Linden Aviation Services Corp.
Business: Municipal airport
Penalty: $25,000
Reasons for penalty: The facility failed to follow closure procedures required under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). After 14 underground storage tanks were taken out, the soil around the tanks were never treated ensure that nothing had leaked into the soil.
Note: All three entities have agreed to pay the fine, provide EPA with copies of a site assessment report and clean up any contaminated soil.
Agency