EPA Fines Clean Harbors for Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations at Kimball, Nebraska, Facility
LENEXA, KAN. (FEB. 14, 2024) – Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc. will pay $270,412 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Nebraska regulations governing hazardous waste management, and the terms of its Hazardous Waste Management Facility Permits.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company operates as a hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facility in Kimball, Nebraska. EPA inspections between 2021 and 2023 revealed the following alleged violations:
- Failure to adequately manage hazardous waste containers.
- Failure to minimize releases of hazardous waste to the environment.
- Failure to maintain air emission controls.
- Failure to maintain and operate a building as tested.
- Failure to transmit waste from its facility within required time frames.
- Failure to obtain a hazardous waste permit for areas not covered by the facility’s permits.
“Mismanagement of hazardous waste leads to human exposure and environmental contamination,” said David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “This penalty action involving one of the largest hazardous waste disposal facilities in the country demonstrates EPA’s commitment to protecting communities and leveling the playing field for companies that comply with the law.”
EPA says that Clean Harbors has a lengthy history of environmental law violations and has been subject to numerous enforcement actions with EPA and the state of Nebraska. Some of the violations at issue are repeat findings from prior inspections and enforcement actions. EPA further reports that since the recent EPA inspections, the company has corrected the violations.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act creates the framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste.
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