SOUTH HADLEY — The state’s environmental protection agency has fined a local excavating operation for hazardous waste and air quality violations.
In a press release Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said it has ordered Marion Excavating Co. to pay $6,000 in fines for violating state air pollution and hazardous waste regulations at its South Hadley facility at 749 New Ludlow Road. Those violations were discovered during a surprise inspection of the facility last fall.
“The violations included failing to register as a generator of waste oil and recycling waste oil without prior notification to MassDEP,” the agency said. “The company, which cooperated with MassDEP during the investigation, initiated corrective actions to address the violations immediately after the inspection.”
Marion Excavating Co. officials did not respond to voicemail and email messages left Monday.
MassDEP ultimately signed an administrative consent order with Marion Excavating Co., which stipulates that the company must pay $2,000 of the assessed penalty while working to correct all the violations cited in the order. The agency is suspending the rest of the penalty, provided the company fully complies with the consent order.
“It is important for companies to understand and recognize the importance of operating in compliance with the Massachusetts environmental laws and regulations in order to avoid potential releases to the environment,” Michael Gorski, the director of MassDEP’s Western Regional Office in Springfield, said in a statement.
The consent order that MassDEP signed with the company lists 12 violations related to Marion Excavating’s record keeping, improper storage of waste oil, failure to obtain a license or register to store waste oil, improper labeling of its waste-oil storage and other issues.
The consent order states that the company has already taken some steps to remedy the violations, and it lays out steps it must take to come fully into compliance.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.