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U.S. EPA enforcement cases secures $2.5 million for Nevada environmental cleanups in 2005

Release Date: 11/15/2005
Contact Information: Mark Merchant, 415-947-4297

SAN FRANCISCO -- EPA enforcement actions in Nevada in 2005 brought environmental and public benefits for the state's residents as polluters committed to more than $2.5 million to correct environmental violations and prevent future pollution.

EPA multimedia settlements will improve the state's air, water and land, benefitting human health and the environment for millions of Nevadans for years to come.

The EPA issued enforcement actions totaling over $1.25 million to companies operating on tribal lands and also succeeded in getting companies to provide environmental projects to benefit affected tribal communities. The EPA took 36 actions against polluters, collecting a total of $340,000 in civil penalties for numerous air, water, hazardous waste, community right-to-know and pesticide violations. The 2005 data represents a slight rise in the amount spent in Nevada to correct environmental problems in 2004, as well as an increase in the amount spent by facilities in the state on other environmental projects.

"Nevadans will enjoy cleaner air, water and land for years to come as a result of the EPA working to enforce environmental laws," said Wayne Nastri, administrator of the EPA's Pacific Southwest Office. "Complying with environmental regulations is a requirement for improved public health."

Below are a number of agency enforcement highlights for Nevada for 2005:

• The EPA settled with Kerr-McGee Chemical in Henderson, requiring the company to pay a $55,392 penalty to resolve alleged air permitting violations at its facility that began in 1993. The EPA cited the company for failing to install carbon monoxide emissions controls required under the Clean Air Act when it installed a new open hearth furnace in 1993. During the EPA's investigation, the company spent $4.8 million to install proper pollution controls at the facility reducing total carbon monoxide emissions 115 tons per year -- an 80 percent reduction from previous levels -- and providing significant air quality benefits for the community.

• Developers and construction companies were fined and ordered to correct damage for illegal discharging polluted storm water. KB Home Nevada, Inc., the Las Vegas-based developer, will pay EPA an $80,000 penalty for Clean Water Act violations at its 160-acre development in southwestern Las Vegas. KB Home which was ordered to halt work in September 2004 also agreed to spend $193,000 on three wetlands restoration projects in compensation for the violations. The wetlands restoration will be at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

• The EPA ordered a Minden developer to pay $76,800 for violating the Clean Water Act during construction of a housing development on tribal lands in Douglas County. EPA discovered PTP at its 240 Pine View housing development, had been discharging polluted stormwater into the nearby East Fork Carson River without a permit since 1999.

• The EPA ordered Nevada-based eyeglass company, Oakley Inc., to limit its wastewater discharge and establish a self-monitoring plan to correct violations of the Clean Water Act. EPA and state and county officals inspected the facility located near Carson City and discovered manufacturing processes that discharged solvents and white slurries to the sewers. Lyon County first discovered the solvent fumes venting from the county sewers and cloudy white wastewaters in local sewage treatment ponds and asked the EPA for help.

• Kinder Morgan Energy partners agreed to a settlement with the EPA for a $26,300 penalty regarding spill response training for its facility in Sparks, Nev. As part of the settlement, Kinder Morgan provided oil response equipment worth $42,000 to the city of Truckee Fire District.

• The EPA fined the United Carpenters and Joiners of America $4,200 for falsely claiming that its Las Vegas training center had been certified by the EPA to teach carpenters how to safely remove lead-based paint, for violations of federal law. EPA requires facilities to obtain accreditation from the EPA before training workers how to handle lead-based paint materials in order to minimize any risks to human health.

• The EPA fined Greg Street Plating $10,000 for violating hazardous waste handling laws at the Sparks, Nev., facility. The company will settle the case by paying the fine, correcting the violations and submitted semi-annual hazardous waste reports to EPA and the NDEP for two years.

Please go to www.epa.gov/region09 for a full description of the EPA's enforcement cases throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands in 2005. For information on the EPA's national enforcement summary for 2005, go to: https://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/annual/fy2005.html

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