A Portland, Ore.-based steel manufacturing and scrap-metal recycling company with locations throughout the United States is facing more than $1.5 million in penalties for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced recently.
Schnitzer Steel Inc. has reached a proposal with the U.S., on behalf of the EPA, to resolve alleged violations at 40 of its recycling plants throughout the country, the EPA reported April 22. The EPA contends in its court filing that Schnitzer did not remove refrigerants from vehicle air conditioners and small appliances prior to disposal nor find out if refrigerants had been removed prior to arrival at Schnitzer's plants, according to the report.
“Many refrigerants are potent greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming if released into the atmosphere,” Larry Starfield, Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in the report. “This settlement will help protect our climate by ensuring that these chemicals are managed properly at 40 recycling facilities across the country.”
The settlement, which is awaiting court approval, requires Schnitzer Steel to pay $1,550,000 in civil penalties, the EPA reports. The company must also invest more than $1,700,000 in compliance measures to prevent the release of refrigerants and other coolants into the atmosphere, and finish an environmental mitigation project, according to the report.
The settlement also requires Schnitzer Steel to adopt an EPA-approved Refrigerant Recovery Management Program (RRMP) at each of its 40 sites and to conduct an environmental mitigation project to destroy all R-12 refrigerant in items brought to its locations, according to the report. The EPA reports that R-12 refrigerant "contains chlorofluorocarbons and has over 10,000 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide."
"The Department of Justice will seek to ensure companies like Schnitzer comply with the Clean Air Act when recycling appliances and motor vehicles containing harmful refrigerants,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in the report.
