DALLAS (Legal Newsline) — Pumpco Energy Services Inc. will pay $237,980 after allegations of violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced.
“Laws such as RCRA provide the foundation for EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment,” regional administrator Ron Curry said. “Companies must be held accountable for violating those laws.”
The RCRA mandates that companies producing hazardous waste be regulated as small- or large-quantity generators. Under Texas law, companies can be exempt from these regulations if their generators produce less than 100 kilograms of hazardous waste a month. Pumpco, however, allegedly generated more than 100 kilograms and did not follow RCRA generator regulations.
The company purportedly failed to obtain a proper EPA identification number or notify the agency of its hazardous waste activities. Additionally, EPA charged that the company improperly stored, handled and treated diesel fuel and mixed waste fuel.
The purported violations occurred at five Texas facilities – Cleburne, Jacksboro, Valley View, Barnhart and Pleasanton.
The RCRA was passed by Congress in 1976 and gives the EPA the right to control hazardous waste regulations. The law exists to protect human health and the environment from potential hazards of waste disposal.