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EPA Proposes $69,274 Fine Against Framingham, Mass., Hazardous Waste Facility

Release Date: 06/05/2000
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a $69,274 fine against a Framingham, Mass., hazardous waste treatment and storage facility charged with 14 counts of violating federal hazardous waste laws.

EPA's New England Office charged General Chemical Corporation, a subsidiary of Trinity General Corporation, with violations that included storage of ignitable wastes, failure to maintain an up-to-date operating record, failure to separate incompatible wastes, failure to label hazardous waste containers and several other violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

The action stems from EPA inspections in March 1998 of General Chemical's facility located near a residential neighborhood and an elementary school.

"A company whose business is to manage hazardous waste has a special responsibility to follow federal hazardous waste laws," said Mindy S. Lubber, Regional Administrator for EPA New England. "General Chemical's failure to follow environmental laws could have posed a threat to the public health and to the environment."

Since the inspection, the company has submitted evidence that it is now in compliance with hazardous waste law. Lubber said the enforcement action should alert other companies that their failure to properly store, separate or manage their hazardous waste will be taken seriously by EPA.