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MW Manufacturing to Pay $30,600 to Settle Chemical Reporting Case

Release Date: 3/31/1999
Contact Information: Ruth Podems, (215) 814-5540

ROCKY MOUNT, Va. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has settled a case for $30,600 against MW Manufacturing Inc., a door and windows manufacturer in Rocky Mount, Va., for alleged violations of the federal toxic chemical reporting law.
 
The company violated the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) by failing to file reports on two toxic chemicals used at the plant in 1994 and 1995.  EPCRA requires companies that manufacture, process or use more than a threshold amount of regulated chemicals to file an annual "toxic chemical release form" with EPA and the state.  Companies must report both routine and accidental releases of toxic chemicals, as well as the maximum amount of any listed chemicals at the facility and the amount contained in wastes transferred off-site.  

The reports provide the basis for EPA’s annual "Toxic Release Inventory," which is provided to the public and regulatory authorities to track pollution trends and identify pollution prevention opportunities.  

In its September 1998 complaint, EPA alleged that the company failed to timely report the amounts of manganese and toluene released at the facility in 1994 and 1995.  The complaint alleged a reporting violation, and not an unlawful release of these chemicals.  Before the issuance of EPA’s complaint, MW instituted a change in its manufacturing process which eliminated its use of these chemicals.


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