Used Oil Recycler Pays Penalties to Settle Alleged Violations of Hazardous Waste Laws Involving Leaks, Containment Cracks, and Recordkeeping

July 2023

California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and Emerald Transformer Los Angeles, LLC (ETLA), a Southern California used oil recycler, recently entered into a stipulated judgment for civil penalties and injunctive relief settling a civil complaint filed by DTSC. The agency’s complaint included the following alleged violations of the Hazardous Waste Control Law (HWCL): (1) storing hazardous waste in unauthorized areas; (2) failing to repair cracks and tears of a containment system; (3) failing to properly record inspection results in their logs; and (4) allowing oil residue boxes to leak oil onto the ground. ETLA agreed to pay a civil penalty of $117,875 and also agreed to a number of injunctive provisions relating to recordkeeping and storage of hazardous waste in compliance with ETLA’s waste handling permit.

Hazardous waste inspections of ETLA’s facility between 2016 and 2018 led to the agency’s civil action. The HWCL authorizes monetary penalties up to $70,000 for each day that a violation continues. For hazardous waste violations occurring before January 1, 2018, the HWCL authorized penalties up to $25,000 for each violation, per day.

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