Ventura County, Calif., District Attorney Gregory Totten announced that the Consumer and Environmental Protection Division, in conjunction with the California Attorney General’s Office, has conditionally settled its civil lawsuit against Halaco Engineering Co., based on Halaco’s former practice of unlawfully disposing of used oil at its Ormond Beach, Oxnard, Calif., facility.
The used oil came from the about 25 different pieces of equipment used at Halaco, including forklifts, bulldozers, generators and trucks.
In the original suit the DA’s office claimed that Halaco violated California law by burning the used oil in its smelting furnace or by pouring it into huge washing machines that discharged directly to the ground in settling ponds dug into the facility.
The settlement was formerly signed by the Ventura County Superior Court on May 6.
The resolution comes two months after the judge in the case ruled on a motion, made by the People, that Halaco intentionally violated California’s Hazardous Waste Control Law.
According to a release by the Ventura County District Attorney’s office Halaco had admitted in its court papers that:
Halaco’s methods of disposal of used oil by pouring it onto materials bound for the furnace and the washing machine were ‘standard practice’ that Halaco engaged in ‘all the time.’
Under the final judgment, Halaco will be bound by a permanent injunction requiring that it dispose of used oil lawfully. The judgment also requires that Halaco pay $150,000 in civil penalties and costs, subject to the approval of the federal bankruptcy court. Halaco is the debtor in a pending Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.
Last year the company was found guilty of polluting the air near its plant. The company also settled several lawsuits, filed by environmental groups, when it agreed to clean up slap heaps on its property, as well as erect barriers to prevent further pollutants from contaminating the air and water.