EPA alleges environmental violations at Occidental

Plastics Engineering, Nov, 2003 by Hope Molinaro

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that it has issued administrative penalty and compliance orders to Occidental Chemical Corporation of Pottstown, Montgomery Co., Pa., for 13 environmental violations.

The complaint alleges violations of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, and Emergency Preparedness and Community Right-To-Know Act.

In addition to alleging these violations, the EPA ordered the company to take actions to protect human health and the environment from the pollution risks that may result from any ongoing violations of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

The complaint does not identify a specific penalty amount; however, the statutory maximum penalty allowed in this case is $27,500 per day of each violation, according to EPA. The company was given 30 days to respond to the complaint, issued on Oct. 1, 2003, and may request a hearing before an administrative law judge who will make a determination.

EPA notes that the violations were identified during a January 2003 multimedia inspection at the facility. The inspection was part of a new EPA mid-Atlantic enforcement approach that evaluates how pollutants move from one medium to another, aimed at producing "better, more protective environmental results."