Phillips 66 Co. has agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at its former refinery located in Trainer, Pa., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced.
Phillips 66 Co. is the successor to ConocoPhillips Corp., which owned the refinery in Trainer. The facility was sold to Monroe Energy, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines in 2012.
EPA cited the company for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid costly cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.
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Following two inspections in 2011 and 2012 by EPA and subsequent requests for information, EPA cited Phillips 66 for RCRA violations involving hazardous waste stored at the facility, including oil refinery hydrocarbon waste, chromium waste, heavy metal waste from batteries and mercury waste from fluorescent bulbs.
The alleged violations included operating a hazardous waste treatment, storage or disposal facility without a permit; failure to keep several hazardous waste containers closed except when necessary to add or remove waste; failure to update the company's contingency plan following a change in emergency coordinators; failure to maintain hazardous waste management personnel designations and job descriptions; and failure to properly manage universal waste batteries and waste lamps.
The settlement penalty reflects the company's compliance efforts, and its cooperation with EPA in the resolution of this matter. As part of the settlement, Phillips 66 Co. has neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations
