Settlement Ensures Better Protection for Community of Cranston, Rhode Island
BOSTON – The community around a Cranston, R.I. freight service center that stores
damaged containers of products that may contain hazardous chemicals will be safer as
the result of a settlement between the company and the US Environmental Protection
Agency.
Con-way Freight has agreed to pay a penalty of $42,900 to settle EPA claims that it
allegedly violated hazardous waste laws at its facility at 15 Southern Industrial
Road in Cranston. EPA alleged that Con-way Freight failed to follow inspection,
record-keeping, labeling and training requirements, in violation of the federal
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as federally-authorized state
hazardous waste regulations.
“Carefully following measures outlined in the federal hazardous waste law helps
insure that the public and the environment are not harmed by dangerous chemicals,”
said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “This
agreement brings this company into compliance with the law and brings the community
an added measure of safety.”
Con-way stores containers of products that have been damaged during transit. Some of
these containers may end up holding hazardous wastes when damaged goods that contain
hazardous materials are stored for disposal. These containers must then be managed
in a manner that prevents the wastes from being released to the environment.
This case stems from an EPA inspection of the facility during which EPA learned the
facility had allegedly failed to comply with RCRA requirements, including:
performing weekly inspections of hazardous waste containers and maintaining records
of these inspections; having a hazardous waste contingency plan for the facility;
providing hazardous waste management training for some employees; maintaining the
required documents and records for hazardous waste management training; and properly
labeling or marking hazardous waste containers.
Con-way has since corrected its alleged violations.