The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure environmental compliance by institutions of higher learning, issued an enforcement action against the Bronx, New York’s Manhattan College in July 2002. The action alleged violations of federal and New York State laws that provide for identification, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes. The action also includes an order that requires Manhattan College to comply with these laws. The hazardous waste that is the subject of the complaint includes used computer monitors, along with materials such as mercury, arsenic, spent solvents and paint, used fluorescent light bulbs, and other wastes generated by or used in the Manhattan College print shop, labs and maintenance facilities at its two Bronx facilities.
"Manhattan College handles a range of hazardous substances in its educational and maintenance facilities and has failed to follow regulations written to protect the public health and the environment from the potential dangers of hazardous wastes that result from these everyday activities,” said Jane M. Kenny, EPA Regional Administrator.
The civil complaint, the basis for a proposed $111,199 penalty, charges Manhattan College with three violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which ensures that hazardous waste is managed from “cradle to grave” in an environmentally sound manner. The complaint alleged that Manhattan College: failed to determine whether certain solid waste it generated constituted hazardous waste; stored hazardous waste without obtaining permits or interim status; and failed to respond as directed to two information request letters sent by EPA.
The compliance order required Manhattan College to determine the extent of hazardous waste generation on its campuses, resolve its hazardous waste permit violations, and comply with all pertinent regulations, including development of practices that ensure the safety and protection of students and staff.
Within 30 days of the compliance order, Manhattan College was required to comply with applicable federal and state requirements, and to submit a written notice of such compliance.
When Manhattan College did not notify EPA of its intention to conduct any self-auditing of its facilities, it became subject to an investigation and inspection in December 2000 that revealed the violations cited in the complaint.
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