What do an auto parts company and a livestock agriculture operation have in common? They were both on the unfortunate receiving end of EPA Region V Enforcement Action.
According to the Office of Regional Counsel Weekly Activity Report 11-1-10, EPA Region 5 “…issued a Consent Agreement and Final Order that commenced and concluded a proceeding against (a manufacturing plant) for alleged violations of RCRA.” The company is located in Northwood, Ohio.
RCRA is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and regulates hazardous waste from “cradle to grave.” According to the EPA, after receiving a Notice of Violation, the company promptly came into compliance. The order requires the company to pay a penalty of $21,362.
In the same report, the EPA stated that a hog farmer near Ashley, Ohio was “…sentenced for polluting the West Branch of Alum Creek.” The sentence includes three months of custody, to be followed by three months of home confinement. In addition, the farmer was fined $51,750 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $17,250 to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. According to the EPA report, this was not the first violation for the farmer.
Final Thought: English Jurist, Henry de Bracton (~1268) is credited for saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If Henry were here today and involved in the exciting world of environmental compliance he might have said, environmental compliance is cheaper than enforcement (or something much pithier).
Dragun Corporation: Environmental Blog 