STATE OF INDIANA

)

SS:

BEFORE THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF

 

)

 

 

COUNTY OF MARION

)

 

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

 

COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT

)

 

OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT,

 

)

 

 

 

)

 

Complainant,

 

)

 

 

 

)

 

 

v.

 

)

Case No. 2017-24245-H

 

 

)

 

ETSS Inc. d/b/a Industrial Service Group

 

)

 

 

 

)

 

Respondent.

 

)

 

 

AGREED ORDER

 

Complainant and Respondent desire to settle and compromise this action without hearing or adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and consent to the entry of the following Findings of Fact and Order.  Pursuant to IC 13-30-3-3, entry into the terms of this Agreed Order does not constitute an admission of any violation contained herein.  Respondent’s entry into this Agreed Order shall not constitute a waiver of any defense, legal or equitable, which Respondent may have in any future administrative or judicial proceeding, except a proceeding to enforce this order.

 

I.  FINDINGS OF FACT

 

1.               Complainant is the Commissioner (“Complainant”) of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (“IDEM”), a department of the State of Indiana created by Indiana Code (“IC”) 13-13-1-1.

 

2.               Respondent is ETSS Inc. d/b/a Industrial Service Group (“Respondent”), which owns/operates the facility with United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) ID No. INR 000 019 596, located at 5430 West 86th Street, in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana (“Site”).

 

3.               IDEM has jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter of this action.

 

4.               Pursuant to IC 13-30-3-3, IDEM issued a Notice of Violation (“NOV”) to.

 

Mr. David Nirschl

d/b/a Industrial Service Group

49 Boone Village, #245

Zionsville, IN  46077

 

5.               Respondent notified of hazardous waste activities at this location in February 2010.  Respondent notified as a hazardous waste, universal waste and used oil transporter, conditionally exempt hazardous waste generator and transfer facility.

 

6.               Respondent’s business provides field remediation services and plant environmental services.  Some of the services provided include 24-hour Emergency Spill Response, non-hazardous soil/sludge solidification and disposal and non-hazardous wastewater transportation.

 

7.               329 Indiana Administrative Code (“IAC”) 3.1 incorporates certain federal hazardous waste management requirements found in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”) Parts 260 through 270, and Part 273 including those identified below.

 

8.               During an investigation including inspections on March 29 and March 30, 2016 conducted by a representative of IDEM, the following violations were found:

 

a.               Pursuant to 40 CFR 262.11, a person who generates a solid waste must determine if that waste is hazardous.

 

As noted during the investigation, Respondent did not make a hazardous waste determination on solid waste contained in a 20 cubic yard roll-off on-site which spontaneously ignited twice over the weekend of March 26, 2016.  Respondent’s representatives were unaware of the specific contents of the roll-off.  Following the fire, some of the material was segregated into fifteen (15) fifty-five (55) gallon drums and the remainder of waste (6.29 tons) in the roll-off was transported to a Permitted Solid Waste Municipal Landfill.

 

On March 29, 2017, Respondent’s Lead Supervisor stated that he was unaware of what caused a fire in the contents of the roll-off.  Respondent’s Vice President stated he did not know how a battery came to be in the roll-off both on April 4, 2016 and April 7, 2016.  Respondent failed to make a proper hazardous waste determination.  According to Respondent, they were cleaning out its facility in preparation for a move and were placing waste from the facility into the roll-off that caught fire.  Some of the waste from Respondent’s facility that was put into the roll-off may have been hazardous waste.

 

b.       Pursuant to 40 CFR 262.34(a)(4) referencing 40 CFR 265.31, facilities must be maintained and operated to minimize the possibility of a fire, explosion, or any unplanned sudden or non-sudden release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents to air, soil, or surface water which could threaten human health or the environment.

 

As noted during the investigation, Respondent failed to properly manage a twenty (20) cubic yard roll-off to minimize a release to the environment.  Specifically, a roll-off that caught fire on March 26 and 27, 2016, may have contained hazardous waste and incompatible hazardous materials.

 

c.       Pursuant to IC 13-30-2-1(12), a person may not cause or allow the transportation of a hazardous waste without a manifest if a manifest is required by law.

 

As noted during the investigation, Respondent caused or allowed the transportation of a hazardous waste without a manifest as required by law.  As noted during the investigation, Respondent transported hazardous waste for offsite treatment, storage, or disposal without preparing a manifest.  Specifically, Respondent offered the following shipments of hazardous waste without a manifest:

 

1)              March 27, 2016: Fifteen (15) fifty-five (55) gallon drums of hazardous waste from Respondent’s 86th Street location in Indianapolis to Respondent’s new location on Guion Road in Indianapolis.

2)              March 30, 2016:  The same fifteen (15) fifty-five (55) gallon drums of hazardous waste above were shipped from Respondent’s Guion Road location back to Respondent’s 86th Street location.

3)              On May 18, 2016, Respondent manifested this hazardous waste to a permitted treatment, disposal, and storage facility as a F005 hazardous waste on manifest tracking number 014492241 JJK.  The amount of hazardous waste manifested was three (3) fifty-five (55) gallon drums totaling fifteen hundred (1500) pounds.

 

Respondent had the waste tested by an outside laboratory for RCRA metals, flash, and pH, and the test results did not exhibit a characteristic of toxicity for the tested RCRA metals nor the characteristic of ignitability or corrosivity.

 

9.       In recognition of the settlement reached, Respondent waives any right to administrative and judicial review of this Agreed Order.

 

II.  ORDER

 

1.               This Agreed Order shall be effective (“Effective Date”) when it is approved by Complainant or Complainant’s delegate, and has been received by Respondent.  This Agreed Order shall have no force or effect until the Effective Date.

 

2.               Respondent shall comply with the statutes, rules, and/or permit conditions listed in the findings above.

 

3.               Upon the Effective Date of the Agreed Order, Respondent shall comply with 40 CFR 262.34.  Specifically, Respondent shall comply with all applicable hazardous waste generator regulations.

 

4.               Upon the Effective Date of the Agreed Order, Respondent shall comply with 40 CFR 262.11.  Specifically, Respondent shall make a waste determination on any solid waste generated in the future to determine if that waste is hazardous.  If the waste is hazardous it shall be managed according to the applicable regulations.

 

5.               Upon the Effective Date of the Agreed Order, Respondent shall ensure compliance with 40 CFR 262.20 and IC 13-30-2-1(12).  Specifically, Respondent shall not allow the transport of hazardous waste without a manifest.

 

6.               Within thirty (30) days of the Effective Date of the Agreed Order, Respondent shall submit procedures that will be implemented to ensure incompatible hazardous materials are not comingled/mixed on-site.  The procedures shall include steps that will be taken to minimize the possibility of a release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents to the environment.

 

7.               Within thirty (30) days of the Effective Date of the Agreed Order, Respondent shall submit copies of hazardous waste manifest tracking numbers 014492248 JJK and 014492241 JJK with the signature of the designated facility and copies of the one-time Land Ban notification and certification for each of these waste streams.

 

8.               Within thirty (30) days of the Effective Date of the Agreed Order, Respondent shall submit the procedures of how employees track the different generators’ hazardous waste from the time it is picked up from the generator and during transfer facility activities to ensure that the manifest accompanies each generator’s waste stream during transport to the designated facility.

 

9.               All submittals required by this Agreed Order, unless Respondent is notified otherwise in writing by IDEM, shall be sent to:

 

Christina Halloran, Enforcement Case Manager

Office of Land Quality

Indiana Department of Environmental Management

100 North Senate Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46204-2251

 

10.           Respondent is assessed and agrees to pay a civil penalty of Twelve Thousand Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($12,250).  Said penalty amount shall be due and payable to the Environmental Management Special Fund within thirty (30) days of the Effective Date; the 30th day being the “Due Date”.

 

11.           In the event the terms and conditions of the following paragraphs are violated, Complainant may assess and Respondent shall pay a stipulated penalty in the following amount:

 

Paragraph

Penalty

6

$100 per week late

7

$100 per week late

8

$100 per week late

 

12.           Stipulated penalties shall be due and payable no later than the 30th day after Respondent receives written notice that Complainant has determined a stipulated penalty is due; the 30th day being the “Due Date”.  Complainant may notify Respondent at any time that a stipulated penalty is due.  Failure to notify Respondent in writing in a timely manner of stipulated penalty assessment shall not waive Complainant’s right to collect such stipulated penalty or preclude Complainant from seeking additional relief against Respondent for violation of this Agreed Order.  Neither assessment nor payment of stipulated penalties shall preclude Complainant from seeking additional relief against Respondent for a violation of this Agreed Order; such additional relief includes any remedies or sanctions available pursuant to Indiana law, including, but not limited to, civil penalties pursuant to IC 13-30-4.

 

13.           Civil and stipulated penalties are payable by check to the “Environmental Management Special Fund.”  Checks shall include the Case Number of this action and shall be mailed to:

 

Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Office of Legal Counsel

IGCN, Room N1307

100 North Senate Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46204

 

14.           In the event that the monies due to IDEM pursuant to this Agreed Order are not paid on or before their Due Date, Respondent shall pay interest on the unpaid balance at the rate established by IC 24-4.6-1.  The interest shall be computed as having accrued from the Due Date until the date that Respondent pays any unpaid balance.  Such interest shall be payable to the Environmental Management Special Fund, and shall be payable to IDEM in the manner specified in Paragraph 13, above.

 

15.           This Agreed Order shall apply to and be binding upon Respondent and his successors and assigns.  Respondent’s signatories to this Agreed Order certify that they are fully authorized to execute this Agreed Order and legally bind the party they represent.  No change in ownership, corporate, or partnership status of Respondent shall in any way alter his status or responsibilities under this Agreed Order.

 

16.           In the event that any terms of this Agreed Order are found to be invalid, the remaining terms shall remain in full force and effect and shall be construed and enforced as if this Agreed Order did not contain the invalid terms.

 

17.           Respondent shall provide a copy of this Agreed Order, if in force, to any subsequent owners or successors before ownership rights are transferred.  Respondent shall ensure that all contractors, firms and other persons performing work under this Agreed Order comply with the terms of this Agreed Order.

 

18.           This Agreed Order is not and shall not be interpreted to be a permit or a modification of an existing permit.  This Agreed Order, and IDEM’s review or approval of any submittal made by Respondent pursuant to this Agreed Order, shall not in any way relieve Respondent of his obligation to comply with the requirements of his applicable permits or any applicable Federal or State law or regulation.

 

19.           Complainant does not, by its approval of this Agreed Order, warrant or aver in any manner that Respondent’s compliance with any aspect of this Agreed Order will result in compliance with the provisions of any permit, order, or any applicable Federal or State law or regulation.  Additionally, IDEM or anyone acting on its behalf shall not be held liable for any costs or penalties Respondent may incur as a result of Respondent’s efforts to comply with this Agreed Order.

 

20.           Nothing in this Agreed Order shall prevent or limit IDEM’s rights to obtain penalties or injunctive relief under any applicable Federal or State law or regulation, except that IDEM may not, and hereby waives its right to, seek additional civil penalties for the same violations specified in the NOV.

 

21.           This Agreed Order shall remain in effect until IDEM issues a Resolution of Case letter to Respondent.

 

TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATION:

RESPONDENT:

Department of Environmental Management

 

 

 

By: _________________________

By:  _________________________

 

Nancy Johnston, Section Chief

 

 

Enforcement Section

Printed: ______________________

Office of Land Quality

 

 

Title: ________________________

 

 

Date: __________________

Date: _______________________

 

 

 

 

 

COUNSEL FOR RESPONDENT:

 

 

 

 

 

By: ________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date: ______________________

 

APPROVED AND ADOPTED BY THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL

MANAGEMENT THIS

________

DAY OF

________________________,

20__.

 

 

For the Commissioner:

 

 

 

Signed  06/07/2018 By:

 

Peggy Dorsey, Assistant Commissioner

 

Office of Land Quality