Monson Companies has been fined $151,900 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the improper storage of hazardous materials, in violation of federal and state laws.
The firm violated the Clean Air Act's chemical accident prevention provisions by not appropriately storing chemicals at its facility in South Portland, Maine.
It also failed to leave enough aisle space between piles of hazardous materials.
The complaint claims that the facility stored incompatible chemicals sufficiently close together that a spill or release of one chemical could result in a chemical reaction with other chemicals, creating toxic gases or causing a fire or explosion.
The EPA reported that Monson failed to submit a complete emergency and hazardous chemical inventory (Tier II) form for 2009 to local and state emergency planning officials and to the local fire department, in violation of the federal right-to-know law.
Monson also failed to conduct hazardous waste determinations, as required by Maine Hazardous Waste Management Rules, and failed to maintain an updated hazardous waste contingency plan, as required by Maine law.
