TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 6, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement requiring Haifa North America, Inc. (Haifa) in Altamonte Springs, Florida, to pay a civil $664,267 penalty for violations of chemical data reporting regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The EPA alleged that Haifa failed to submit a data report required under TSCA for 32 chemical substances that Haifa had imported between 2016 and 2019. The company imports various chemicals for businesses that formulate specialty fertilizers and plant nutrition solutions for agricultural applications.
“Companies are legally obligated under the Toxic Substances Control Act to report chemicals they import, process or manufacture, so Haifa’s failure to report the 32 chemicals they imported over a three-year span is in direct violation of our nation’s environmental laws,” said acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle.
Companies are required to give the EPA information on the chemicals they manufacture or import into the United States for commercial purposes. The EPA uses the data to help assess the potential human health and environmental effects of these chemicals and makes the non-confidential business information available to the public. Haifa’s failure to submit the required reports presented a potential harm to the EPA’s ability to maintain accurate and updated information regarding commercially-produced chemicals. The settlement agreement with the company resolves the alleged violations and requires the payment of a $664,267 civil penalty within 30 days.
For information about the chemical data reporting, please visit the TSCA Chemical Data Reporting website at: https://www.epa.gov/chemical-data-reporting. The chemical data reports for 2016 – 2019 were due from industry manufacturers by January 29, 2021.
To find out if a specific chemical is on the TSCA chemical substance inventory, please visit the Substance Registry Services web page at: https://sor.epa.gov/sor_internet/registry/substreg/LandingPage.do.
For more information on TSCA’s requirements, please visit: www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-toxic-substances-control-act.
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