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Rhode Island Building Co. Agrees to Pay $46,000 for PCB Violations in Conn.

Release Date: 11/23/2004
Contact Information:

Contact: Amy Miller, public affairs office, (617) 918-1042

For Immediate Release: Nov. 23, 2004; Release # am04-11-04

BOSTON - A Rhode Island-based construction company has agreed to pay $46,750 to settle charges by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of improper handling and disposal of PCBs in soils during a construction project in New Haven, Conn. in December 2003.

According to EPA's complaint, the Gilbane Building Co., based in Providence, RI, improperly disposed of soil containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Gilbane, a national company with offices around the country and in Glastonbury, Conn., was construction manager for the New Haven project to install underground storage tanks used for preventing sewer overflows. Gilbane was responsible for excavating and disposing of contaminated material from the site, including 2,750 tons of material in an area with elevated PCB concentrations. In the settlement, Gilbane does not admit the factual allegations of the complaint.

According to EPA, on the project Gilbane was overseeing, soils with lower concentrations of PCBs were allegedly mixed with soils containing higher concentrations, in violation of rules that do not allow dilution of contaminated materials. Some of the soil excavated contained PCB concentrations of 191 parts per million, more than seven times the 25 ppm concentration allowed at the disposal site where the mixed soils were sent for disposal.

"We hope that all construction companies will be careful to follow federal guidelines with respect to the handling and disposal of PCB-contaminated soils,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. "PCB regulations are meant to ensure that companies that handle PCBs protect their employees, the public and the environment from exposure."
The action was taken under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) which regulates the manufacture, processing, distribution in commerce, use and disposal of PCBs.

For more information about PCBs and the regulations for handling PCB-laden materials, visit the agency’s web site at www.epa.gov/ne/topics/pollutants/pcbs.html

Related Information:
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Enforcement
PCB's