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EPA Reaches Settlement with Alaska Gold near Nome, Alaska for Improperly Managing Hazardous Waste

Release Date: 04/25/2014
Contact Information: Mark MacIntyre / EPA-Seattle / 206-553-7302 / macintyre.mark@epa.gov

Today’s settlement also carries a penalty of $72,000. According to Ed Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance office in Seattle, “Poor hazardous waste handling at facilities can leave a toxic legacy of pollution and lead to costly clean up, Kowalski said. “In this case, numerous containers of hazardous waste were abandoned and illegally stored - in some cases for several years - without the necessary permits.”

Violations noted at the time of the inspection include:

· Failure to make a hazardous waste determination
· Storing hazardous waste without a permit
· Failure to clearly label used oil storage units
· Failure to store used oil in good, proper containers
· Shipping “off-specification” used oil to prohibited used oil burners
· Failure to properly respond to a used oil release