Waste Firm to Pay $2.5-Million Penalty
Operators of a commercial hazardous waste facility in Louisiana have agreed to pay a record $2.5 million to settle a federal and state lawsuit, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday.
The suit against CECOS International Inc., a subsidiary of Houston-based Browning-Ferris Inc., had charged the company with more than 1,700 violations of federal environmental regulations at its disposal facility in Livingston, La., about 40 miles east of Baton Rouge.
Robin Woods of the EPA said the settlement was the largest penalty to date in a hazardous waste court case.
Under a consent decree filed in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, CECOS is to pay $1.1 million to the federal government, $900,000 to the state and $500,000 to Louisiana State University to pay for environmental education programs.
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