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DOVER, N.H., COMPANY AGREES TO PAY $10,000 TO SETTLE EPA CLAIM OF PCB VIOLATIONS

Release Date: 10/01/1999
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - In a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a Dover, N.H., hazardous waste transporter has agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty to settle a claim that the company violated the federal law regulating the storage and disposal of PCBs, which are toxic substances.

According to an EPA administrative complaint issued in March, Jet-Line failed to dispose of certain PCB-contaminated wastes within a year of receiving the waste, failed to maintain records documenting the contents of large containers of liquid PCBs and failed to fully complete a shipping label accompanying the shipment of some PCB-contaminated sludge.

EPA also charged Jet-Line with failing to properly document clean-up of a spill of PCB-contaminated oil under a storage container at its facility. The complaint said Jet-Line's conduct violated the Federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and its regulations governing use and disposal of PCBs.

Since the complaint was filed, Jet-Line has disposed of PCB wastes that were stored at the facility for more than a year. In addition, the company has cleaned up the spill beneath the tank and has agreed to maintain accurate logs on the large storage tanks.

"Laws regulating the use and disposal of PCBs are meant to protect the health of our environment and our community," said John P. DeVillars, EPA's New England Administrator. "I certainly hope the end has come to Jet-Line's history of violating these regulations."

EPA learned of the violation after an employee at the N.H. Department of Environmental Services inspected the facility in June 1998. After two follow-up inspections showed continued violations, EPA in December gave Jet-Line advance warning it would take an enforcement action.

EPA regulations require that PCBs above certain concentrations be disposed of within one year of the date they are placed in storage. Shipping documents that specify the date the PCBs were first stored are required, so authorities can determine whether waste was, in fact, disposed of within the one-year period.

The regulations also require that storage facilities maintain certain records, such as the quantities of batches of liquid waste added or removed from large storage containers. EPA's rules also describe appropriate procedures to clean up spills of PCB wastes. Jet-Line Environmental Services, which transports and cleans hazardous waste, also paid a $7,095 fine in 1998 to settle an EPA complaint alleging similar violations at its Dover facility. In the 1998 case, EPA contended Jet-Line had failed to dispose of PCBs within a year of the date wastes were placed in storage.

PCBs are no longer manufactured, but are still in use as non-conductive, fire-resistant additives to coolant liquids in heavy electrical equipment. These compounds are persistent in the environment and suspected carcinogens. Exposure to PCBs can cause liver problems and skin rashes.

EPA-New England initially proposed a $38,445 fine, but lowered the amount based on the company's ability to pay.