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3M Company corrects gaps in chemical inventory reporting at 12 facilities nationwide

Release Date: 10/15/2008
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, (415) 947-4149, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov

Company audits 90 facilities nationwide, avoids penalties
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has waived penalties against the 3M Company after the company voluntarily corrected missing information in its annual chemical inventory reports.

The 3M Company audited 90 facilities nationwide and found chemical inventory information gaps in chemical inventory forms from 2003 through 2005 at twelve facilities nationwide, including three southern California locations in Irvine, Northridge and Monrovia. Upon discovering the violations, 3M completed and submitted all required documents, correcting the violations.

“The EPA is pleased with the actions taken by the 3M Company -- it’s the responsibility of all companies to provide accurate chemical inventory information to state and local emergency response planners,” said Daniel Meer, assistant director for the Superfund Division in the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “These reporting laws protect emergency responders and the public in the event of an accidental release.”

The company failed to include sulfuric acid and/or lead in forklift batteries in their annual inventories. Under the agency’s audit policy, the EPA may reduce penalties for violations that are voluntarily discovered, promptly disclosed to the agency and quickly corrected. Once the violations were discovered, the 3M Company quickly disclosed the reporting errors, met additional criteria and corrected the reporting gaps.

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act requires annual reports to the state and local emergency planning agencies from facilities that use, store or manufacture certain toxic chemicals over a specified amount. The reports provide information on the maximum amounts of these chemicals which are on-site at any one time during the calendar year. Facilities that fail to provide annual chemical inventory reports to the state and local planning agencies inhibit the ability of those agencies to prepare to protect communities in the event of a release of those chemicals.

More information about the Audit Policy can be found at: www.epa.gov/compliance/incentives/auditing/auditpolicy.html