October–December 2025 Newsletter
Protecting People from Illegal Products
EPA has reached a settlement with Chedraui USA, Inc., doing business as El Super and Smart & Final Stores LLC, for violating federal pesticide law by distributing illegal disinfectants in their stores in Arizona, California, and Nevada. As a result of EPA’s action, the illegal disinfectants were removed from stores and the business paid a penalty.
- Environmental Protection Online: EPA Fines Grocery Chains for Selling Illegal Disinfectants in Three States
- Nevada Current: Grocery Chain Fined for Marketing Pesticide as a Disinfectant
- EPA News Release
Removal Actions for Cleaner Land and Water
EPA has completed oversight of the removal of approximately 75,000 gallons of oil and 100,000 tons of oil-contaminated soil from a railroad site in Dunsmuir, California, and restored 1,400 feet of impacted shoreline along the Sacramento River. EPA’s cleanup efforts will prevent additional oil from continuing to seep into the river. The oil-related substances addressed in this removal stem from locomotive-fueling equipment used over a century ago.
In Guam, EPA has completed the removal of approximately 31,000 cubic yards of soil contaminated with heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the Dededo Transfer Station. The cleanup is a crucial element of EPA’s ongoing work, undertaken in close cooperation with government partners in the Pacific Islands, to ensure toxins like lead and PCBs do not threaten human health or the environment.
EPA recently worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a battery removal action on the remote Tern Island within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. Large marine lead-acid batteries from former US military facilities were disassembled and removed, taking away a significant risk of toxic exposure to workers, volunteers, and wildlife, including protected seabirds and the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal.
- EPA News Release: Historic Oil Removal at Dunsmuir Railyard
- KUM News: EPA Completes Cleanup of Dededo Transfer Station
Restoring Mining Sites on Navajo Nation
In November, EPA began the cleanup of 13,000 cubic yards of uranium mine waste rock on the Navajo Nation at the Lukachukai Mining District Superfund Site in Cove, Arizona. The area is culturally significant and used for grazing, hunting, and recreation. EPA will oversee the cleanup as well as the construction of an on-site repository where the mine waste will be safely contained.
- Arizona Public Radio: EPA Begins Uranium Mine Cleanup Near Four Corners
Enforcement Update
Protecting Communities from Hazardous Waste
EPA reached a settlement with Apple Inc. over violations of federal hazardous waste law at a facility located in Santa Clara, California. As a result of EPA’s action, the company addressed hazardous waste management and air emissions issues and has come into compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.