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Lawrence Metal Finisher Agrees to Pay $128,000 to Settle Claims of Environmental Violations

Release Date: 06/23/2000
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - A Lawrence, Mass., plating company has agreed to pay a $128,000 fine to settle claims by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the company violated the Clean Air Act as well as federal laws regulating hazardous waste.

Adtec Electroplating Inc., which uses solvents and metals in the process of plating, also agreed to follow hazardous waste and emissions laws and to discontinue operation of its chrome plating tank, its most polluting operation. The enforcement action stems from a May 1998 inspection of the facility.

"Although many metal finishers are good environmental citizens, there are still too many companies in this sector that continue to pollute in violation of federal laws," said Mindy S. Lubber, Regional Administrator for EPA New England. "Adtec has agreed to pay a large fine for its many violations. This should serve as a warning to other metal finishers that environmental laws will be aggressively enforced."

The Adtec enforcement case was part of a two-pronged initiative by EPA New England to control hazardous pollutants released by the metal industry. EPA New England has filed complaints against more than a dozen metal finishers in Massachusetts in the last year. The agency is also offering technical assistance to companies that clean or finish metals and is educating them on relevant environmental regulations.

Among that Clean Air Act violations listed in the complaint, Adtec failed to comply with maintenance, compliance reporting, record-keeping and monitoring requirements for its decorative chromium electroplating tank as required in the chromium emissions regulations, and failed to keep records and make compliance reports for its vapor degreaser as required by regulations on solvent emissions. Among the hazardous waste violations listed in the complaint, the company failed to separate incompatible hazardous wastes, failed to keep containers closed, stored hazardous waste beyond the 90-day limit and failed to keep a complete contingency plan.

Much of EPA's work with the metal industry is being done through EPA's Metal Finishing Strategic Goals Program, a four-year-old program that is encouraging metal finishers to meet aggressive pollution reduction goals by the year 2002. The national program was launched in partnership with industry groups, environmental groups and state and local regulators.

Companies that signed up for the program - about 50 metal finishers in New England have done so - receive compliance and pollution prevention assistance. And, as companies work toward meeting the goals, they may be rewarded with more flexible regulatory oversight from EPA and state environmental regulators.

More information on federal regulations and how to prevent pollution is available by calling Linda Darveau in the Office of Assistance and Pollution Prevention at 1-617-918-1718.

EPA's efforts to control pollution by the metal industry stems in part from regulations enacted in 1995 to regulate emissions of chromium, trichloroethylene and other toxic chemicals.