Campus to reply to EPA charges

Vol. XVII, Issue 8

for the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts

Oct 19, 2001

Campus to reply to EPA charges

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

iting several results of a May 2000 inspection visit, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials this week said they are proposing fines up to $262,700 for alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act.
According to a statement issued Tuesday by the EPA's regional office in Boston, the campus inspection revealed several violations, including:

Failure to have a properly operating vapor recovery and control system at the fuel station near the Transit Services building;
Inadequate record-keeping of gasoline storage tank maintenance, malfunctions and repairs;
Inadequate records of degreasing operations using air-polluting solvents;
Using automobile paints with excess levels of smog-producing solvents.

      The University is planning to answer the EPA complaint within the 30-day response period, according to Donald Robinson, director of Environmental Health and Safety.
"We are going to respond to the complaint and also meet with EPA officials to discuss our response," he said.

      According to EPA regional administrator Robert W. Varney, the campus inspection is part of a broader campaign launched by the agency two years ago to improve environmental compliance at colleges and universities throughout New England.

      "EPA has made an all-out effort to help UMass meet its environmental responsibilities," Varney said in a statement. "This proposed penalty is part of a focused effort by EPA's New England office to improve environmental compliance not just at UMass, but at colleges and universities throughout the region.



		This Web site is an Official Publication of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It is maintained by the Web Development Group of the Division of Communications & Marketing. © 2001