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U.S. EPA ANNOUNCES RIGHT-TO-KNOW ACTIONS SEEKING $2.6 MILLION

Release Date: 6/16/1995
Contact Information: Dave Schmidt, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1578

   (San Francisco)--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(U.S. EPA) has issued civil complaints to four California
companies and one in Hawaii as part of a nationwide enforcement
effort seeking a total of over $2.6 million in penalties from 48
facilities for failure to report their annual releases of toxic
chemicals to U.S. EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).

     "By taking this action, the Agency is sending a wake-up call
to industry about the importance we place on full compliance with
our nation's community right-to-know law.  The American people
have a right to know about the releases and emissions of toxic
chemicals in their neighborhoods and communities," said Steven
Herman, Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance.  "With the July 1, 1995 reporting deadline fast
approaching, facilities not otherwise planning to report TRI data
for reporting year 1994 should start working right now to prepare
to submit their data in accordance with the statutory deadline.
If they do not report, they will pay a penalty."

     In the largest of the California cases, U.S. EPA is seeking
a penalty of $370,000 from the Alflex Corp. of Long Beach, for
failure to file reports documenting annual releases of copper,
antimony compounds, n-dioctyl phthalate, and lead compounds for
the years 1989-1993.  

     In a second California case, U.S. EPA is seeking a $110,442
penalty from Adohr Farms Inc. of Santa Ana, for failure to file
reports documenting its releases of phosphoric acid in the years
1989-1993, and its releases of nitric acid in 1992 and 1993.  The
facility pasteurizes and packages milk.

     The agency proposed a $40,671 penalty against Rhone-Poulenc
Basic Chemicals Inc., of Martinez, for failure to file reports
documenting its releases of zinc compounds in 1991 and 1992.
U.S. EPA also proposed a $34,000 penalty against Washington
Ornamental Iron Works, Gardena, for failure to file reports
documenting its releases of 1,1,1-trichloroethane during 1990 and
1991.  In the fifth case, U.S. EPA is seeking a $25,000 penalty
from Horizon Industries Inc. of Wahiawa, Hawaii for failure to
file reports documenting the facility's releases of styrene for
the years 1989-1993.

     The 48 facilities cited by U.S. EPA are located in 21
states.  Most of the cases involved failure by the companies to
report routine releases of toxic chemicals tracked by the TRI
under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
(EPCRA).

     EPCRA requires annual reports to U.S. EPA and state agencies
from facilities with more than 10 employees that use, process, or
manufacture any of more than 300 toxic chemicals in significant
quantities.  The reports provide estimates of the amounts of each
toxic chemical released to the environment, recycled, or
transferred to another facility for treatment or disposal.

     In addition to measuring toxic emissions and wastes
generated in the U.S., the TRI is used by state and local
emergency response officials, fire departments, and others to
identify potential chemical emergency threats.  EPCRA was enacted
by Congress in 1986 as a response to the tragic Bhopal, India,
chemical accident.

     U.S. EPA's TRI Database gives the public direct access to
information about environmental releases of toxic chemicals for
industrial facilities in communities across the nation.  The TRI
Database can now be accessed on CD-ROM, through the National
Library of Medicine's TOXNET system, and on RTK Net and the
Internet.

     Further information on TRI reports may be obtained by
calling U.S. EPA's toll-free Community Right-to-Know Hotline at
(800) 535-0202, or by writing to the Toxic Release Inventory
Program, U.S. EPA, Region 9, 75 Hawthorne St., Mail Code A-4-4,
San Francisco, CA  94105.  

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