KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Region 7 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Thursday it fined a Kansas City, Missouri, environmental service company for allegedly violating terms of its hazardous waste permit.
According to the EPA, Heritage Environmental Services LLC will pay $74,095 in fines for:
- Failing to operate in a manner that minimized release of hazardous waste
- Failing to conduct daily inspections on hazardous waste tanks
- Failing to ensure that all open-ended valves or lines at the facility were equipped with closures
- Failing to obtain a hazardous waste permit for wastes not covered by the facility's permit
The alleged negligence violates the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which sets the national precedent for proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste, per the EPA.
The company "immediately" worked to resolve the issues after being notified of the alleged violations, according to the EPA.
“Mismanagement of hazardous waste threatens human health and the environment,” said David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, in a press release. “EPA is committed to protecting communities from harmful chemical waste releases and leveling the playing field with companies that comply with the law.”
—
