EPA Cracks Down On Environmental Waste Violations

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published its 2013 enforcement results showing a commitment to prosecuting violators from municipalities and businesses whose disregard of environmental waste laws result in adverse conditions for public health.

A few of the results from the EPA’s major cases from 2013 are:

— Combined criminal sentences for violators during 2013 resulted in fines exceeding four and a half billion dollars and more than one billion dollars in civil penalties.

— Almost four billion dollars was resolved for Gulf Coast residents and communitites as a result of the Deepwater Horizon environmental spill case.

— Mandating retailer Walmart to improve its hazardous waste handling policies and practices, including enhanced training programs to ensure the safety of employees and residents. Walmart was forced to pay over eighty million dollars in fines for failing to comply with pesticides and hazardous waste regulations.

— Reaching a settlement with AVX Corporation to pay over three hundred fifty million dollars to rectify pollution and contamination in Massachusetts’s New Bedford Harbor.

— Working with energy providers such as Dominion Energy, Wisconsin Power and Light,  and Louisiana Generating to reduce harmful chemical emissions into the community from coal fired power generators.

— Helping cities and towns of all size better manage resources, reduce pollution and enhance the quality of life for residents. Settlements with the city of Seattle and King Country, Washington require cities to assist surrounding communities impacted by sewage discharges.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: The US EPA can be a great resource to your business or municipality. Learn the regulations, and follow their best practice advice. Better to be on the right side of the law than being subjected to fines, penalties, bad publicity and legal proceedings!