The fines target NRC Environmental Services and Oakland Power Company LLC. NRC is a company that offers hazardous waste disposal and response services and was hired by Oakland Power, which operates a jet fuel-fired combustion turbine peaker power plant in Oakland.
The fines stem from an April 2020 violation when Oakland Power hired NRC to remove and dispose of tank bottom water from a jet fuel tank. NRC transported three tanker trucks to the East Bay Municipal Utility District, or East Bay MUD, for disposal as non-hazardous waste. Instead, East Bay MUD staff sampled a truck and found characteristics of hazardous waste, including elevated levels of benzene and other chemicals.
An EPA investigation revealed that this violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act , which is designed to protect the environment by requiring the safe storage and disposal of hazardous waste.
PA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said in a press release: "The unlawful transportation of hazardous waste is a clear risk to human health and the environment."
In addition to the fines, California-based employees will complete training on hazardous waste regulations.
Officials with NRC Environmental Services were not immediately available to comment on the settlement.