Published: April 16, 2010
Updated: 1:23 p.m.

Safety-Kleen to pay $15 million over environmental violations

By RACHANEE SRISAVASDI
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

SANTA ANA – A national distributor of cleaning solvents has agreed to pay $15 million to resolve allegations that it polluted the environment by selling products that emit more than 30 times the legal limit of smog-producing components, Orange County prosecutors said Friday.

The South Coast Air Management District determined that Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc., which is based in Plano, Texas, was knowingly selling and providing petroleum-based solvents to businesses in Southern California that contained illegally high levels of volatile organic compounds, which are contaminants that contribute to the creation of smog when exposed to sunlight, prosecutors said.

This case was jointly prosecuted by prosecutors in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, as well as the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, prosecutors said. The settlement was filed this week in Orange County Superior Court.

Safety-Kleen agreed to pay $12 million in civil penalties, and also is subject to an injunction that forbids future environmental violations, prosecutors said. The company also is required to maintain a Web site that identifies its customers who are lawfully using the solvents pursuant to an exemption, and to start a training program focused on familiarizing employees with rules and regulations involving permissible products.

The company, in a separate action, also agreed to pay $3 million to South Coast Air Quality Management District for violations of air quality regulations, prosecutors said.

Contact the writer: 714-834-3773 or rsrisavasdi@ocregister.com

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