Powercon Corporation settles hazardous waste violations at Severn, Md. facility

PHILADELPHIA (November 19, 2015) - Powercon Corporation has agreed to pay a $40,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at its manufacturing facility in Severn, Md., the E.P.A. announced today. As part of the settlement, Powercon has also implemented a recycling plan that will significantly reduce its hazardous waste.

The settlement addresses compliance with environmental regulations that help protect communities and the environment from potential exposure to hazardous waste.

E.P.A. cited Powercon for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid long and extensive cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

The alleged violations included failure to: conduct weekly inspections of hazardous waste storage areas; comply with personnel training and recordkeeping requirements; comply with contingency project and maintenance requirements; and properly label universal waste batteries.

In addition to the $40,000 penalty, Powercon has agreed to complete a "supplemental environmental project" exceeding the requirements of federal and state environmental regulations. The company will spend about $2,700 to install a fluid management system that will allow the reuse of some chemicals from its manufacturing process. This plan will reduce the biggest source of hazardous waste generated at the facility.

The settlement penalty reflects the company's compliance efforts, and its cooperation with E.P.A. in the investigation and resolution of this matter. As part of the settlement, Powercon has not admitted liability for the alleged violations, but has certified its compliance with applicable RCRA requirements.

For more information about hazardous waste and RCRA, visit http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/index.htm

There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.