FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ENR MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 1997 (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 COLORADO COMPANY SUED BY STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR VIOLATING HAZARDOUS WASTE LAWS WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The State of Colorado and the United States sued Power Engineering Company for illegally handling hazardous wastes, including chromium, lead, and acids, at its heavy machinery refurbishing plant in Denver, the state and federal governments announced today. The State lawsuit, filed Friday, August 1, by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in Denver District Court, seeks to force Power Engineering to comply with its administrative orders to abide by Colorado hazardous waste laws and pay a $1.1 million penalty. The federal lawsuit, filed the same day as the state lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Denver by the Justice Department of behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency seeks to force Power Engineering to: * stop the illegal treatment, storage or disposal of hazardous wastes; * comply with all hazardous waste laws; * pay up to $25,000 per day for each of the alleged violations. "This is a great example of state and federal cooperation to enforce laws that protect public health and the environment," said Lois Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "Careless and illegal handling of hazardous waste will not be tolerated." "With the joint authorities of the Health Department and EPA, we hope to expedite an effective cleanup," said Howard Roitman, director of the Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division in the state health department. The lawsuits allege that Power Engineering violated state and federal laws by leaving drums of hazardous waste sitting out in the open for an extended period of time, leaving piles of contaminated soil on the facility's grounds, treating hazardous materials without a permit, and mixing hazardous wastes with ordinary trash that eventually ended up in municipal landfills not suited to handle toxic substances. The lawsuits named Power Engineering Company of Denver, Colorado; Redoub't Limited of Denver, and Richard J. Lilienthal. Inspectors from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment observed violations of the south Denver site in six inspections. The state issued a final compliance order to the facility in June 1996, and a final penalty order for $1.1 million in January 1997, which have not been complied with. The company has improved the way it labels and stores waste containers, and moved to correct employee training deficiencies. However, the extent of the contamination at the site remains unknown and has not been cleaned up and the state fine remains unpaid. The state lawsuit was brought under Colorado's Hazardous Waste Management Act. The federal lawsuit was brought under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act that governs the handling of hazardous waste. ### 97-322