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EPA SETTLEMENT WITH BOSTON EDISON PAYS BIG DIVIDENDS FOR TOWN OF PLYMOUTH

Release Date: 12/29/1998
Contact Information: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the Boston Edison Co. has agreed to fund two environmental enhancement projects in Plymouth worth $155,247 and pay a $43,210 penalty as part of a settlement of an EPA enforcement case stemming from hazardous waste violations at the company's Pilgrim nuclear power plant.

The settlement, finalized last week, requires that Boston Edison fund a town-wide environmental compliance audit of hazardous waste management procedures at 80 municipal buildings and properties in the Town of Plymouth, including all fire, police and school department buildings. The project, which is to be completed by March 1999, also includes the development of a comprehensive pollution prevention plan for all municipal operations in Plymouth.

The second environmental project requires that Boston Edison by next March purchase emergency response equipment for the Local Emergency Planning Commission, the Fire Department, the Police Department, the municipal airport and the Department of Public Works. Boston Edison will also be required, by June 1999, to provide emergency response training to staff at these departments.

The projects - and the $43,210 civil penalty - stem from hazardous waste violations discovered during an EPA inspection at the Pilgrim nuclear plant in June 1996. Among other problems, the facility was cited for: storage of hazardous waste without a permit; failure to maintain records on hazardous waste training; failure to prepare a written training plan for appropriate personnel; failure to make weekly inspections where hazardous waste is stored; and failure to segregate incompatible wastes.

"Plymouth will be a healthier and safer community because of this action," said John P. DeVillars, administrator of the EPA's New England Office. "This settlement rectifies sloppy hazardous waste handling practices at the Pilgrim facility and it paves the way for environmental performance improvements by the Town of Plymouth. It's gratifying that we've been able to turn this negative into a positive that will yield significant public health and environmental dividends for all of Plymouth."

"This unique and innovative project is great news for the Town of Plymouth," said Plymouth Town Manager Eleanor S. Beth. "It will help us enormously in our ongoing efforts to create a safe working environment - and a safer environment for all of our residents."