All News Releases By Date

MASSACHUSETTS MANUFACTURER MAKES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS TO REDUCE POLLUTION: PAYS ENVIRONMENTAL FINE

Release Date: 06/15/1998
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1064

Boston - Neles-Jamesbury, Inc. with facilities in Worcester and Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, will make several changes to its environmental management as part of a settlement with the New England office of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency for violations of federal environmental reporting laws. The company will spend approximately $260,750 to automate its materials screening systems which will provide the company with timely information needed to evaluate regulatory and environmental impacts of its material purchasing and use patterns. This, in turn, will provide Jamesbury managers with information to allow for environmentally-friendly decision-making and opportunities for pollution prevention. The new system will also help Jamesbury meet its regulatory compliance and reporting requirements under federal law. Neles-Jamesbury, Inc. will also pay an environmental fine of $82,640.

According to EPA, Neles-Jamesbury had failed to submit required documentation for its processing of chromium, nickel and copper in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990. The company has since submitted all missing reports.

"This case is about turning lemons into lemonade," said John P. DeVillars. "Instead of paying a fine of more than $400,000, part of that money will stay in Massachusetts with improvements to the company's environmental systems that should yield environmental benefits here at home." Fines assessed by the EPA are paid to the U.S. Treasury.

This case was filed under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). EPCRA was established as a means to inform the public about the use of toxic chemicals in a community. The data collected also allows state and local governments to make informed risk-based decisions about the management and control of these and other toxic chemicals.. The data are used by industries to analyze their wastes and identify areas where source reduction and other pollution prevention activities can be used so that wastes and emissions are minimized. Local governments often use the data in their contingency planning to respond to industrial accidents.