| 3/08/2006
The Associated Press |
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The state fined the company working on chemical weapons disposal in Eastern Oregon a total of $8,800 for violating rules for monitoring emissions.
The Department of Environmental Quality said Wednesday the fines covered two violations:
• Running incinerators for 16 minutes in September without an automatic
air monitoring system.
• Operating a waste unit for 14 hours in August without proper monitoring because a technician failed to reconnect a line. The unit processes waste from the incinerators' air pollution scrubbers, said Dan Duso, senior hazardous waste compliance officer for the DEQ.
In both cases, the company was able to submit documents from backup equipment that showed there was no chemical agent in the emissions, Duso said.
The DEQ said in a statement that the company reported the violations in September. Under state rules, it has until March 23 to appeal the penalties.
The company and the U.S. Army use incinerators to dispose of chemical weapons from the nearby Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Hermiston.
Figures from the DEQ show that a total of $84,000 in fines have been paid in Umatilla cases dating to 1999. In several cases, fines levied by the agency were later reduced.