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Kenyon Zero Storage, Inc. fined nearly $23,000 for failure to properly report hazardous chemicals in Washington State

Release Date: 11/20/2006
Contact Information: Suzanne Powers, (360) 753-9475, [email protected] Stephanie Mairs, (206) 553-7359, [email protected] Tony Brown, (206) 553-1203, [email protected]

(Grandview & Prosser, Wash. – Nov. 20, 2006) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Kenyon Zero Storage, Inc. (Kenyon) to pay nearly $23,000 for failure to file a Hazardous Chemicals Report with State and local emergency planners in violation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Kenyon uses large quantities of ammonia for refrigeration at their facilities in Grandview and Prosser, Washington.

In addition to the penalty, Kenyon has also agreed to perform a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) which will provide more than $42,000 in emergency response equipment for the Grandview Fire Department and Prosser Fire District 3. The equipment will improve first responder’s ability to safely and quickly respond to hazardous materials releases and other hazards, which ultimately lessens risk to human health and the environment.

“These laws were established to help communities prepare and respond to chemical accidents,” said Mike Bussell, Director of EPA’s Office of Compliance & Enforcement in Seattle. “They also help reduce the likelihood and severity of accidental chemical releases that could harm the public and the environment.”

Kenyon failed to file Tier II Inventory of Hazardous Chemicals Reports under EPCRA for calendar years 2000 to 2004.

Kenyon uses ammonia at their facilities in Grandview and Prosser, including the Regan facility at 250 Grandridge Road; the Libby facility at South 3rd & A Streets; the Standlee-Fox facility at 110 Old Inland Empire Highway; the Lettig-Warren facility at 717 S. Division Avenue; and the Prosser facility located at 100 Benitz Road.

Ammonia is considered an extremely hazardous substance and is listed as a hazardous substance under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA).