Contact: Sam Brungardt, 651-757-2249
St. Paul, Minn. – A Chanhassen company, Roberts Automatic Products, Inc., will pay a $8,920 civil penalty to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and perform a supplemental environmental project costing at least $279,000 for alleged hazardous waste violations.
This enforcement action follows inspections by Carver County Environmental Services staff in July 2008 and February 2009 and a January 2010 inspection by Carver County and MPCA staff.
Roberts Automatic Products makes machined products at 88 E. Lake Drive in Chanhassen. A large-quantity generator of hazardous waste, the company uses methylene chloride, mineral spirits and water in its degreasing-of-parts and cleaning operations. The company recycles, reclaims and distills the used methylene chloride and mineral spirits, and filters its mop water, leaving residues, known as “still bottoms.” MPCA rules mandate that these still bottoms be tested within 60 days of their generation to determine if they are hazardous wastes, and if so, that they be handled appropriately.
On July 23, 2008, Carver County inspectors found that Roberts Automatic Products was not evaluating its waste mineral spirit still bottoms within 60 days of their generation. They also found that the company was disposing of about two gallons per week of the unevaluated waste mineral spirit still bottoms by mixing them with its used oil.
On Feb. 19, 2009, Carver County inspectors found that the company was not evaluating its waste methylene chloride still bottoms within 60 days of their generation and that it was adding 45 gallons per week of unevaluated methylene chloride still bottoms as well as unevaluated mop water still bottoms to its used oil.
Subsequent evaluations of the waste mineral spirit, methylene chloride and mop water still bottoms determined they are hazardous wastes that may not be mixed with the facility’s used oil, but must be managed as hazardous wastes.
The inspectors also documented violations of hazardous waste rules on the accumulation, management, storage and shipping of hazardous wastes from the Chanhassen facility.
In accordance with the stipulation agreement, Roberts Automatic Products has stopped disposing of its hazardous waste methylene chloride, mineral spirit and mop water still bottoms with its used oil, and is now managing them as hazardous wastes. The company has also made necessary changes in how it manages, stores and ships these hazardous wastes.
The supplemental environmental project that Roberts Automatic Products has agreed to perform involves the purchase and installation of a vacuum degreasing unit that uses hydrocarbons instead of methylene chloride to clean parts manufactured at the Chanhassen facility. This will eliminate the generation of methylene chloride hazardous waste still bottoms and decrease employee exposure to methylene chloride, a hazardous air pollutant.
The stipulation agreement is one of the tools the MPCA uses to achieve compliance with environmental laws. When calculating penalties, the agency 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. A stipulation agreement 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, go to /pyri5fb.
