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Arlington Facility Owner Agrees to $42,300 Penalty for Chemical Reporting Violations

Release Date: 5/12/2005
Contact Information: Chris Colt
colt.christina@epamail.epa.gov
(206) 553-4016

May 12, 2005


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that G.B. Enterprises (operating under the name Alpha Technologies) will pay a penalty of $42,300 for failing to report the use of lead at its Arlington, Washington facility. G.B. Enterprises is a supplier of power systems for the cable television and cellular phone industries.

Under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), entities that manufacture, import, process, or otherwise use certain quantities of potentially harmful chemicals or substances must report those substances and their releases and waste management activities to state and federal environmental agencies. These reports are annually compiled for the public by EPA as part of its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).

G.B. Enterprises failed to report its use of lead after EPA lowered the reporting threshold for lead in 2001 from 10,000 pounds to 100 pounds. EPA officials conducted an extensive campaign to alert industry about the new rules beginning in 2001. This campaign included mailings to potentially affected companies, such as G.B. Enterprises, and free workshops explaining the new requirements. EPA inspectors then began reviewing facility records in 2003 to determine compliance with the lower reporting threshold.

Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around our homes. Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk, because their bodies are growing quickly.

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Related Links:

Lead Information (epa.gov/lead/)
Region 10 Compliance and Enforcement (yosemite.epa.gov/R10/ENFORCE.NSF/)

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