UNION GAP, Wash. - A fruit company based out of Union Gap is facing a large penalty after failing to meet risk management requirements under the Clean Air Act, according to a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
As part of the settlement, the Olympic Fruit Company will pay a penalty of $33,964 and upgrade its safety equipment.
Under the Clean Air Act, a facility that uses large amounts of chemicals is required to come up with a risk management program to assess the danger hazards associated with chemicals. The program must include accident prevention and an emergency response plan incase of an accidental chemical release.
Olympic Fruit Company uses more than 10,000lbs of anhydrous ammonia, a very dangerous chemical used in agriculture and refrigeration.
In addition to the penalty, Olympic Fruit will spend $40,659 to install new ammonia detectors, an emergency pressure control system, and safety shut-off valves.
