Fwd: News Release: Company to Pay $2.5 Million Penalty for Shreveport, LA, Wastewater Plant; Settlement resolves water, hazardous waste, and air violations

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From: U.S. EPA <usaepa@service.govdelivery.com>
Date: Thu, Jul 10, 2014 at 9:37 AM
Subject: News Release: Company to Pay $2.5 Million Penalty for Shreveport, LA, Wastewater Plant; Settlement resolves water, hazardous waste, and air violations
To: iammejtm@gmail.com

U.S. Branch of Canadian Company to Pay $2.5 Million Penalty for Shreveport, LA, Wastewater Plant Settlement resolves water, hazardous waste, and air violations   DALLAS – (July 10, 2014) Houston-based CCS (USA) Inc. and several of its operating subsidiaries will pay a $2.5 million civil penalty relating to operations at its Shreveport, Louisiana, industrial wastewater treatment plant, the Department of Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Louisiana announced today. The settlement will resolve violations of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the hazardous waste law known as RCRA.   CCS acquired the plant in 2006 through its purchase of two closely held companies owned by John Emerson Tuma. Tuma is now serving a five-year prison sentence for illegally discharging untreated and improperly treated wastewater from the plant into the Red River and Shreveport Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW). Inspections by EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality following the sale led to the discovery of these violations and others, including unpermitted storage and improper handling of hazardous wastes and sludge, unpermitted stormwater discharges and noncompliance with Clean Air Act requirements for benzene-containing wastes.   After discovering these violations, CCS ceased wastewater treatment operations at the facility. Under EPA supervision, CCS removed the hazardous wastes illegally stored there.   The $2.5 million civil penalty will be split evenly between the United States and state of Louisiana.   The stipulation of settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, is subject to a 45-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.     For more information on enforcement activities in Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/region6/6en/index.html   Connect with EPA Region 6: On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6  On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6              Activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.htm    # # #   For more information contact Jennah Durant or Joe Hubbard at R6Press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200.    You can unsubscribe or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems, please e-mail subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com for assistance.  This service is provided to you at no charge by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.    This email was sent to iammejtm@gmail.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355

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Jeremy Tobias Matthews