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EPA orders Commonwealth Port Authority to clean up and improve hazardous waste management

Release Date: 5/31/2005
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711

HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently ordered the Commonwealth Port Authority to clean up and improve its treatment, handling, storage and disposal of used oil and hazardous waste at its Saipan International Airport facility.

“We are serious about protecting the community, workers and the environment from improper management of hazardous wastes,” said Jeff Scott, Director of Waste Programs for the EPA Pacific Southwest Region. “We are ordering the Commonwealth Port Authority to meet regulatory requirements and safely dispose of their waste.”

Operations at the airport facility include equipment maintenance and waste treatment and disposal. The facility historically accepted and burned solid and hazardous waste from airlines, law enforcement agencies, local businesses, and military vessels.

In March, EPA inspectors found the facility left containers of hazardous waste open to allow the waste to be treated through evaporation, and stores its hazardous waste and used oil in severely corroded and leaking containers. The EPA found the facility’s treatment, handling, storage, and disposal of motor oil, used motor oil, used oil-based paint, solvents, and other unknown solid and hazardous waste presents an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health and the environment.

The airport facility will need to:

* Immediately cease all un-permitted burning of waste at the Waste Burning Facility and refrain from all un-permitted burning of solid waste at any time in the future.

* Transfer all motor oil, used motor oil, aviation gas, solvents, used paint, and any other solid or hazardous waste stored in corroded or leaking containers to a container in good condition that can be closed securely.

* Submit a determination of each of the waste materials generated and/or stored at the Maintenance and Waste Burning Facilities, including corroded and leaking containers, and a plan and schedule for disposal of such waste material.

* Properly dispose of the waste material generated and/or stored at the Maintenance and Waste Burning Facilities, including corroded and leaking containers, within ten days of EPA’s approval of the waste determination and disposal plan and schedule.

* Submit a work plan to investigate and clean up releases of motor oil, used motor oil, aviation gas, solvents, used paint, and any other solid or hazardous waste at the Maintenance and Waste Burning Facilities at the SIA.

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