PASCO, Wash. (AP) -
An industrial and medical gas company in the Tri-Cities region has agreed to pay $100,000 to settle allegations that it didn’t meet some risk management standards set under the federal Clean Air Act.
The Tri-City Herald reports the Environmental Protection Agency said Oxarc stored more than 2,500 pounds of chlorine and more than 5,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide at the company’s Pasco facility. The federal agency said Oxarc didn’t have a complete emergency response plan and didn’t have mechanisms in place to notify emergency responders if the dangerous chemicals were released, among other issues.
In the settlement agreement signed by Oxarc and EPA officials, Oxarc neither admitted nor denied the allegations, but agreed to pay $100,000 to settle the matter. The agreement also said the alleged violations have since been corrected.
Ed Kowalski, a regional director with the EPA’s enforcement division, said companies that store large quantities of dangerous chemicals have a duty to obey the risk management laws.
Risk management plans are required to detect, prevent or minimize accidental releases of toxic chemicals, and provide quick emergency responses.
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