E.P.A. and D.O.E. to Resolve Hanford Hazardous Waste Violations

(Seattle, Washington - January 28, 2015) The E.P.A. (EPA) and the D.O.E. (US DOE) have resolved alleged violations of hazardous waste requirements at the Hanford Location near Richland, Washington.

By ensuring that hazardous waste management is conducted in accordance with all applicable requirements, E.P.A. helps protect cleanup workers, 1st responders and the public from unnecessary exposure to hazardous chemicals. This action also protects the environment by ensuring proper cleanup and closure of hazardous waste storage sites.

The Consent Arrangement and Final Order, signed by E.P.A. and US D.O.E. today, addresses 2 independent Resource Conservation and Recovery Act violations, which occurred in 2013.

In the 1st case, E.P.A. alleged that US D.O.E. moved 136 fifty-five gallon drums of hazardous waste from a permitted area to an unpermitted area, without seeking or obtaining the required permit authorization.

In the 2nd case, US D.O.E. submitted a closure project (in October, 2013) for 8 storage units that lacked all the required information as required under an earlier settlement. The project did not detail how and when any remaining waste and contamination would be removed and disposed of as the plan was completed. US D.O.E. is now working with the Washington Department of Ecology to amend the project to include the needed closure information.

As part of this agreement, US D.O.E. will pay a $44,722 penalty.

For more about EPA's RCRA & TSCA enforcement role at the Hanford Reservation: http://go.usa.gov/eXDF

For more about EPA's Superfund cleanup role at the Hanford Reservation: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/cleanup.nsf/sites/Hanford

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