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Connecticut Electric Distribution Company Pays Fine for PCB Violations

Release Date: 10/12/2011
Contact Information: Paula Ballentine, 617-918-1027

(Boston, Mass. - Oct. 12, 2011) An electric distribution company that provides electricity to about 325,000 customers in the New Haven and Bridgeport areas of Connecticut has agreed to pay $39,900 to settle claims that it violated federal PCB regulations.

According to a recent settlement, EPA alleged that the United Illuminating Company violated the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) by violating record-keeping requirements relating to its use and temporary storage for disposal of PCBs.

Specifically, United Illuminating, based in New Haven, violated the PCB regulations by failing to create and maintain annual document logs for 2007, 2008, and 2009. In addition, the company failed to specify the date of removal from service for disposal and the weight of PCB waste identified on two manifests in 2010.

The record-keeping requirements in federal PCB laws, including requirements to maintain annual document logs and proper manifests, impose minimal administrative costs and burden on facilities compared to the significant value gained in EPA’s use of the data to determine which facilities have PCBs, whether facilities are in compliance with the regulations, and track PCBs to the point of final disposal.

United Illuminating has since come into compliance with the record-keeping requirements in the PCB regulations.

PCBs are persistent in the environment and are suspected carcinogens. Exposure to PCBs can cause liver problems and skin rashes.

More information:
Appropriate ways to manage PCBs (www.epa.gov/region01/enforcement/tsca/index.html#pcb)
Basic information on PCBs (www.epa.gov/pcb)

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