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EPA ENFORCEMENT YIELDS ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AT MMR

Release Date: 08/19/1997
Contact Information: Johanna Hunter, EPA Community Involvement, 617-918-1041 Jim Gaffey, EPA Enforcement, 617-918-1753

Boston - The New England office of the Environmental Protection Agency has finalized enforcement actions against the Air and Army National Guards and the Marines for violations of federal hazardous waste management laws at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) on Cape Cod. The settlement agreements will result in $130,500 in direct funding to the MMR Environmental Technology Center, a public organization that promotes and develops technologies for environmental investigation and remediation as well as funding for emergency preparedness and operations training for local Cape communities.

"We are turning lemons into lemonade - taking enforcement actions for serious violations and using the fines to improve the Cape's environment and economy," said John P. DeVillars, EPA's New England administrator.

EPA inspectors found a number of problems at MMR including among others:

• failure to follow federal hazardous waste storage and management requirements designed to protect public health and the environment from spills or releases of toxic chemicals;
• failure to make and maintain records pertaining to hazardous waste; and
• failure to adequately train personnel in hazardous waste management.

EPA has taken a total of six enforcement actions over the last three years at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, including the three being announced today. In 1995, EPA assessed penalties for missing deadlines to the National Guard Bureau under Superfund. As a result, the Air Force and the National Guard provided funds for a comprehensive ground water model. In 1997, EPA issued two administrative orders to the Army National Guard for the Impact Area which has resulted in substantial limits on training activities by the services and the initiation of a comprehensive soil and ground water study of the Impact Area.

The Massachusetts Military Reservation has been used since the 1930s by many branches of the military for firefighting training, aircraft and vehicle maintenance, as an airport, and landfill. In 1989, the MMR was added to the EPA's National Priority List as a federal Superfund site.