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U.S. EPA settles with Bay Area company for failing to report information needed by first responders

Release Date: 10/06/2008
Contact Information: Wendy Chavez, 415/947-4248, chavez.wendy@epa.gov

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. violated toxic chemical reporting requirements

(San Franciso, Calif. -- 10/06/08) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today settled with a San Jose, Calif., semiconductor fabrication company for $10,900 for allegedly failing to report its toxic chemical inventory, a violation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

Cypress Semiconductor Corp., failed to submit complete and correct forms to the EPA and the state on the amount of hydrogen fluoride for reporting years 2004 and 2005 for its manufacturing facility located at 3901 North First St. The company voluntarily disclosed the violations to the EPA and promptly corrected them within 60 days, which reduced the 2004 penalty by 100 percent and the 2005 penalty by 50 percent.

“If you’re a facility that uses toxic chemicals, you must provide complete and accurate information about these chemicals so residents and emergency responders are aware of possible chemical hazards in the community,” said Enrique Manzanilla, Communities and Ecosystems director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Cypress Semiconductor voluntarily disclosed the violations and corrected them, ensuring compliance with federal law.”

The company used approximately 17,125 pounds of hydrogen fluoride in 2004 and approximately 18,464 pounds in 2005 -- both amounts exceeding the 10,000 pound threshold for reporting.

Under the EPA’s audit policy, the agency may reduce penalties up to 100 percent for violations that are voluntarily discovered, promptly disclosed to the agency, and quickly corrected.

Each year the EPA compiles the information submitted to it from the previous year regarding toxic chemical releases, and produces a national Toxics Release Inventory database for public availability. The database estimates the amounts of each toxic chemical released to the environment, treated or recycled on-site, or transferred off-site for waste management, and also provides a trend analysis of toxic chemical releases.

For more information on the TRI program, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/tri The U.S. EPA’s environmental databases, including the TRI data, can be accessed at: https://www.epa.gov/enviro