Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Stephen Mikkelson, 218-855-5001 Brainerd, Minn. -- Salo Manufacturing of Menahga, Minn., has agreed to pay $13,000 for alleged hazardous waste and air quality violations. The violations were discovered during Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) staff inspections in March 2006. According to the agreement, the hazardous waste violations included improper storage and disposal of hazardous wastes, and failure to evaluate wastes to determine if they are considered to be hazardous by Minnesota rules. The air quality violations include failure to properly maintain and conduct daily inspections of filters in their spray booths. Salo Manufacturing produces fiberglass shower stalls at its facility in Menahga. The MPCA provides training and other materials to help business owners meet their environmental responsibilities. For more information about training offered by the MPCA, visit www.pca.state.mn.us/news/training/index.html. When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violation affected the environment, whether it is a first time or repeat violation, and how promptly the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. It also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, refer to the agency Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/newscenter/enforcement.html.