EPA Office Assesses Penalty to Alaska Auto Salvage Yard

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued an administrative complaint for eight alleged hazardous waste and used oil violations to Dean's Auto Salvage, located in Anchorage, Alaska. The fines total $85,413. The alleged violations were for failure to properly manage hazardous waste and used oil between May 2002 and September 2003.

EPA has been in discussions with Dean’s Auto Salvage since November 2004 in an attempt to resolve these violations. Because the discussions have not resulted in a firm compliance agreement, EPA issued the penalty action.

“When properly managed, used oil can be beneficially used for many purposes. Unfortunately, when the used oil is not properly managed, contaminants contained in the oil can be released into the environment with harmful effects,” said Mike Bussell, director of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement, EPA Region 10.

Between September 1998 and August 2003, EPA conducted several hazardous waste compliance inspections at the facility and issued Notices of Violations. During these inspections, EPA inspectors observed that the facility was not properly managing paint wastes and used oil. Many of the drums of used oil found during these inspections contained compounds that are considered hazardous waste. Dean’s provided some of the used oil to private entities that used this potentially hazardous used oil as fuel for space heaters.

The complaint also addresses the facility’s failure to properly manage paint waste generated from automobile painting operations. This hazardous waste, composed of used solvents and paint, was not being managed in a protective or safe manner.