SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a settlement with Ampac Fine Chemicals, LLC to resolve violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and related state laws at its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Rancho Cordova, California. EPA determined that Ampac failed to comply with legal requirements that govern hazardous waste management and will pay a fine of $69,879.
In February 2020 EPA performed an inspection of the Rancho Cordova facility, which manufactures pharmaceutical ingredients and generates large quantities of hazardous waste. EPA determined that Ampac did not: perform required calibration testing; mark equipment subject to air emission standards for equipment leaks; develop a monitoring plan for valves that are difficult or unsafe to monitor; separate incompatible hazardous waste during accumulation; have a qualified professional engineer assess the integrity of an existing tank; list emergency equipment capabilities in a contingency plan; and properly label hazardous waste containers.
“Failure to properly manage hazardous waste and air emissions can pose a serious health risk to nearby communities, ” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “This settlement will help protect workers, the community, and the environment in Rancho Cordova.”
For more information on inspections, visit EPA’s How We Monitor Compliance webpage.
For more information on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, visit EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Laws and Regulations webpage.
For more information on hazardous waste, visit EPA’s Learn the Basics of Hazardous Waste webpage.
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