Heritage Environmental Services LLC in Kansas City, Missouri, will pay $74,095 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company operates as a hazardous and solid waste storage facility and failed to comply with the terms of its hazardous waste permit, including:
- Failure to operate in a manner that minimizes the release of hazardous wastes.
- Failure to conduct daily inspections on hazardous waste tanks.
- Failure to ensure that all open-ended valves or lines at the facility were equipped with closures.
- Failure to obtain a hazardous waste permit for wastes not covered by the facility’s permit.
“Mismanagement of hazardous waste threatens human health and the environment,” said David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “EPA is committed to protecting communities from harmful chemical waste releases and leveling the playing field with companies that comply with the law.”
Upon notification to Heritage Environmental Services of the alleged violations, the company took immediate steps to return to compliance.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act creates the framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste.
