United States.
Two seafood processing and cold storage companies have agreed to cut the release of R-22 refrigerant from leaks in their refrigeration equipment located at their westport, Washington, facility and pay $495,000 in penalties for environmental violations.
The settlement was announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for violations of the Clean Air Act and the Emergency Plan and the Right to Know Act.
According to the EPA, at least since 2007, Ocean Gold Seafoods Inc. and Ocean Cold LLC failed to quickly repair refrigerant leaks and were unable to maintain proper records stemming from maintaining their refrigeration equipment needed to prevent leaks, in violation of the Clean Air Act. The companies were also unable to provide timely release reports to EPA and emergency planners, in violation of the Emergency Plan and the Right to Know Act.
The agreement requires companies to commit to a refrigerant release reduction program, to implement a refrigerant compliance management plan, to train employees on their refrigerant-related work requirements, and to provide periodic reports to the EPA. The companies also agreed to use a third-party verifier to inspect their facilities and record leak detection and maintenance practices, as well as to determine whether the companies' actions and records comply with the management plan and terms of the agreement. In addition to the penalties, as part of the solution, the companies have agreed to repair all refrigerant leaks and implement plant-wide improvements that are expected to cost around $260,000.
