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PA FIRST MONETARY AWARDS APPROVED FOR CITIZENS ASST. IN ENF.

Release Date: 02/18/97
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PA FIRST MONETARY AWARDS APPROVED FOR CITIZENS ASST. IN ENF.

FOR RELEASE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1997

FIRST MONETARY AWARDS APPROVED FOR CITIZENS ASSISTANCE IN ENFORCEMENT CASES UNDER
THE CLEAN AIR ACT

On Feb. 7, EPA approved monetary awards to 20 citizens who helped the Agency take successful enforcement actions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). These were the first monetary awards given under the CAA, which authorizes EPA to make awards of up to $10,000 after an enforcement action is concluded for reporting violations or assisting the Agency in enforcement proceedings. The Agency assessed a total of more than $1.5 million in civil and administrative penalties in these cases and awarded a total of $37,000. The Agency awarded the $10,000 maximum to a citizen who helped EPA conclude a major asbestos enforcement case. The citizen learned that children were playing with bags of a powdery substance in an abandoned industrial building and suspecting that the material was asbestos, warned the children, contacted the local air pollution control agency, and provided other information about the large quantity of asbestos improperly stored there. Follow-up inspections documented numerous violations of asbestos removal requirements. In addition to protecting children from this hazardous substance, the citizen's action helped EPA successfully prosecute the violator. In another action, three citizens reported that a regional home air conditioning service contractor might be illegally venting ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The citizens provided eyewitness accounts and a video tape to support their allegation. After a follow-up investigation by EPA, the contractor agreed to correct the violations and to pay a substantial penalty. The three citizens received awards averaging $1,200 for their assistance. Persons who are aware of pollution violations may contact EPA at 202- 260-2090 for the name and telephone number of the EPA official responsible for investigating air pollution violations in their states. For violations involving air conditioning service or repair, the public should call EPA's Stratospheric Ozone Information Hotline at 1-800-296-1996.

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