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U.S. EPA takes action against Dole for failing to provide toxic chemical information needed by first responders Atwater facility to pay $32,500 for violations

Release Date: 09/29/2008
Contact Information: Mary Simms, (415) 947-4270, [email protected]

(9/29/08 -- SAN FRANCISCO) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has settled with Dole Packaged Foods for $32,500 following alleged violations of the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act.

Dole failed to submit timely toxic chemical release inventory forms for ammonia used at the facility during 2004 and 2005. The Dole facility is located at 7916 West Bellevue Road, in Atwater, Calif.

"These laws help communities respond to chemical accidents,” said Nathan Lau, associate director for the EPA’s Communities and Ecosystems Division in the Pacific Southwest region. "Fire departments and other local agencies need all the information required by federal law so they can be prepared for emergencies."

This enforcement stems from a self-disclosure that Dole made to the EPA in July 2007, for which the penalty was reduced. Dole has since filed the required forms for ammonia used at the facility during 2004 and 2005.

“When facilities submit late reports, it undermines the purpose of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act, which is to make accurate and reliable toxic release data available to states, the public, and emergency responders,” added Lau. “Enforcement against such facilities is a priority for the Agency.”

For more information on the EPA’s toxic release inventory program, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/tri. The U.S. EPA’s environmental databases, including the TRI data, can be accessed at: https://www.epa.gov/enviro.

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