SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with NRC Environmental Services Inc. and the Oakland Power Company LLC, and NRC and Oakland Power will pay $230,000 in civil penalties and personnel at California facilities will complete training to ensure familiarity with state and federal hazardous waste regulations.
During 2019-2020, Oakland Power hired NRC to remove tank bottom water from a two-million-gallon jet fuel tank at the Oakland plant and dispose of it. In April 2020, NRC transported over 8,000 gallons of what the companies believed was tank bottom water in three tanker trucks to the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) for disposal as non-hazardous waste. The EBMUD staff sampled the third truck when they suspected it contained petroleum products. The sample showed that the truck’s contents possessed characteristics of hazardous waste, including elevated concentrations of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylenes. As a result, EPA investigated and determined that the companies’ management and delivery of hazardous waste violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
“The unlawful transportation of hazardous waste is a clear risk to human health and the environment,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA is committed to enforcing laws that protect our communities.”
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is designed to protect public health and the environment and avoid lengthy and extensive cleanups by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste. With proper training, employees may know how to handle hazardous waste safely and how to respond in an emergency, thereby decreasing the likelihood of a release and worker exposure.
For more information on EPA enforcement of hazardous waste requirements, visit EPA’s Waste Enforcement webpage.
For more information on RCRA, visit EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Laws and Regulations webpage.
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