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EPA PROPOSES $114,262 FINE AGAINST CHELMSFORD CO. FOR VIOLATING HAZARDOUS WASTE LAWS

Release Date: 10/25/1999
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a $114,262 fine against a Chelmsford, Mass., company charged with six counts of violating federal hazardous waste laws.

In a complaint filed recently, EPA's New England Office charged JapEnameLac Corp. with violations that included failure to conduct hazardous waste determinations; failure to train employees who manage hazardous waste and failure to label containers of hazardous waste.

The complaint also charged the company, which does protective and decorative finishings, with failure to maintain adequate hazardous waste training records and failure to maintain a complete contingency plan to be used in case of an emergency spill or release.

"In the future, we expect the company to do better. To begin with, we expect the company to determine the nature of its waste so that all hazardous waste produced there is handled according to the requirements of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act,@ said John P. DeVillars, EPA's New England Administrator. "Furthermore, JapEnameLac's repeated failures to train personnel and develop a continency plan have created a significant potential for mismanagement of hazardous waste. This too needs to be addressed."

The action stems from EPA inspections of the plant at 25 Katrina Road in June 1998 and July 1999. JapEnameLac operations include coating, silk-screening and painting processes on metal and plastic products.