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Willamette YMCA and Papé Truck Leasing, Inc. fined $22,000 for Improper Storage of PCBs

Release Date: 08/04/2009
Contact Information: Lauris Davies, EPA Office of Compliance and Enforcement, (206) 553-2857, davies.lauris@epa.gov Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, (206) 553-1203, brown.anthony@epa.gov

(Albany, Ore. – August 4, 2009) The Mid-Willamette Family YMCA and Papé Truck Leasing, Inc. have reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency to resolve alleged federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) violations related to improper storage of polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCB) waste at their facility located in Albany, Ore.

EPA reached a $20,000 settlement with Papé in January 2009. Based on analysis of the YMCA’s limited ability to pay, EPA assessed a penalty of $2,000 against the YMCA for its role in the improper storage of the PCB waste.

The violations occurred on property that Papé, as Industrial Finance Company of Oregon (IFCO) at that time, owned at 3350 National Way SW in Albany, Ore. and donated to the local YMCA in 2003. The property featured an industrial furnace and related pieces of equipment, including two transformers and 43 capacitors that contained high levels of PCBs. Papé (as IFCO) did not properly notify EPA that they were handling and storing PCB equipment intended for disposal.

The YMCA took ownership of the donated facility and over three years allowed the illegal storage of the PCB equipment to continue and to further deteriorate. In December 2006, the YMCA reported a spill of more than 30 gallons of oil containing PCBs at greater than 500 parts per million (ppm) at the facility. Shortly after receiving the spill report, EPA conducted two formal inspections on the property. EPA subsequently oversaw the cleanup needed to address the resulting PCB contamination. The PCB equipment has now been properly disposed of and the site has been cleaned up.

“Today’s settlement sends a clear signal that companies must follow PCB regulations to protect communities and our environmental resources,” said Edward Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Office of Compliance & Enforcement in Seattle. “The EPA will not hesitate to take enforcement action against anyone that fails to properly handle and dispose of PCBs.”

Papé and YMCA alleged violations included:

• Failure to notify EPA prior to its PCB waste handing activities
• Improper storage of PCB waste at the facility.