A metal finisher in Fridley must pay a $125,000 pollution fine, the state said Tuesday.
Eco Finishing Co. has agreed to pay the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency $25,000 in civil penalties for alleged hazardous-waste and air-quality violations. The company also has agreed to pay $100,000 toward environmental projects that will reduce the potential effects of hazardous waste and wastewater generated by the company.
The alleged violations were discovered during a site inspection by MPCA staff members four years ago and in a follow-up review of Eco Finishing's waste management practices. They include improper handling, labeling, storage and disposal of hazardous waste, failure to provide required hazardous-waste training and preparedness for emergencies, and failure to calculate potential to emit air pollutants that is needed to determine if an air quality permit is required.
The violations are characterized as alleged, even after the agreement, because there is no admission of wrongdoing by Eco Finishing.
In addition to paying the civil penalty, the MPCA said, the company has acted to ensure that corrective measures have been taken and that waste is being properly managed.
On the federal level, further consequences for the company remain on other alleged acts. In August, two Eco Finishing executives were indicted in federal court for allegedly dumping wastewater contaminated with cyanide and other metals into the metro sewer system from 2002 to 2005. Defendants Martin Meister, plant managers, and Keith Rosenblum, president and CEO, have pleaded not guilty and have a trial date of Feb. 28 set.
PAUL WALSH
