The U.S. Air Force agreed to pay a $206,811 penalty for hazardous waste violations at Eareckson Air Station in Alaska.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed the fine in a June 23 news release.
“We’re grateful that the Air Force has acknowledged its mistakes and stepped up to its responsibilities to fix the problem," Ed Kowalski, director of EPA Region 10’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, said in the release. “EPA rigorously enforces our hazardous waste regulations to ensure these wastes are managed in ways that protect people’s health and the environment."
The EPA asserted that the U.S. Air Force has been improperly storing more than a ton of hazardous paints, hydrochloric acid, methyl ethyl ketone and oxidizers, in addition to more than 25 tons of hazardous waste fuel and oil. These wastes were stored for years longer than permitted under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which regulates the handling of hazardous wastes. There were also violations in how the Air Force handled old batteries and lamps, according to the EPA news release.
