EPA Crackdown on Metal Recyclers Results in Settlement from Weitsman Firm

The settlement, as Weitsman explained it, is for a minimal fine so his company can invest in updated machinery that meets or exceeds pollution standards.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Over the past two years the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice have been investigating pollution at metal recycling facilities across the country. According to federal court records filed this month in the Northern District of New York, the Adam Weitsman-owned “Upstate Shredding” company located in Tioga County has settled a pollution matter with a $400,000 payment.

“We’ve been working with the E.P.A. for more than two years now, they’ve been very good to us,” Weitsman told CNY Central News in a phone call on Monday. “We’re happy to be among the first in the industry to reach a settlement.”

The settlement, as Weitsman explained it, is for a minimal fine so his company can invest in updated machinery that meets or exceeds pollution standards.

CNY Central found an “Enforcement Alert” memo from the EPA dated July 2021. It references enforcement efforts and investigations related to possible, “Clean Air Act violations at metal recycling facilities that operate auto and scrap metal shredders, causing excess emissions of air pollution.”

That same alert references more than 250 metal recycling facilities with a metal shredder that may not be in compliance with Clean Air Act standards. More specifically, the E.P.A. semed to be focused on the amount of something called, “Volatile Organic Compounds” or “VOCs.” Court records spell out in detail how machinery that emits VOC levels exceeding certain amounts there are federal laws requiring owners and operators of those machines to obtain special permits. Fines for violations over a number of years can reach into the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars according to statutes referenced in those court documents.

In addition to the $400,000 payment from Upstate Shredding, the company is expected to meet additional air quality requirements spelled out in a 35-page consent degree document on file with the federal court.

Courtesy: www.cnycentral.com