The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Chicago-based Amsted Industries, Inc. has settled alleged violations of federal and state hazardous waste regulations at the company’s Griffin Pipe Products facility in Lynchburg, Va.

In a consent agreement with EPA, Amsted has agreed to pay a $25,857 penalty to settle alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This law 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.

As part of the settlement, the company has also agreed to install a new pollution control system at the Lynchburg plant that will exceed the requirements of federal and state environmental regulations. This project — installation of an in-duct treatment dust injection system — will prevent the dust currently generated by the plant’s melting and metal treatment operations from becoming hazardous waste. The new system will inject a substance into the hot gas coming from the furnace on its way to the baghouse that binds with the dust in the gas as it cools. With the new system in place, the lead- and cadmium-bearing dust will still be a waste but will no longer be a hazardous waste. The new system is expected to cost over $200,000.

In a June 2003 complaint, EPA cited Amsted for several RCRA violations at the Griffin Pipe Products plant. These violations included operating without a required hazardous waste storage permit and failure to close or properly label hazardous waste containers. Additional alleged violations include failing to maintain personnel training records and secondary containment, and minimizing the risk of release of hazardous waste. The hazardous wastes involved in these alleged violations included baghouse dust containing lead and cadmium, ignitable aerosol paint cans, crushed fluorescent bulbs and waste paint.

The company neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations.