[Pharmwaste] Mo. pharmaceutical company to pay $2.25M for multiple violations

[Hoffman, Deb]

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HAZARDOUS WASTE: Mo. pharmaceutical company to pay $2.25M for multiple violations  (Friday, March 15, 2013)
Jeremy P. Jacobs, E&E reporter
A Missouri pharmaceutical company will pay $2.25 million to resolve a host of environmental infractions related to the release of hazardous waste in local water bodies and emissions of harmful air pollutants, the Department of Justice said yesterday.
The penalties stem from Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.'s alleged violations of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as Missouri state statutes.
Teva will pay $1.125 million to the U.S. Treasury and $1.125 million to Missouri.
"This settlement penalizes Teva for multiple violations of U.S. environmental laws when it allowed excess emissions of hazardous air pollutants from Teva's wastewater treatment facility and excess discharges of pollutants into the City of Mexico, Missouri's wastewater treatment facility," said Ignacia Moreno of the Department of Justice in a statement.
The settlement stems from a 2007 inspection of Teva's facility that revealed Clean Air Act violations for failure to control emissions of hazardous air pollutants from wastewater. The facility also did not comply with regulations designed to prevent air pollutant links, DOJ said.
A second inspection the same year found that Teva was discharging pollutants at levels above state standards in violation of the Clean Water Act. Those releases caused interference with Missouri's sewage treatment processes, leading to discharges into the Salt River.
A year later, Teva was found to be discharging a green effluent that discolored the river.
And in 2009, Missouri regulators also found various RCRA violations relating to the storage and transport of hazardous waste.
"With numerous violations over a period of years, Teva's actions resulted in significant environmental damage to the air and water," said EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks. "The penalty and injunctive relief required by this agreement send a strong message to Teva and others that businesses must comply with environmental laws."
In addition to the penalties, Teva will also take actions at its facility that will cost another $2.5 million, including installing equipment to recover and reuse roughly 59.5 tons of hazardous methylene chloride and reduce emissions by 19 tons in the next five years.
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