The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Wednesday that it reached a $40,294 settlement with agricultural company Cargill Inc. regarding its Vermont facility that produces animal feed. According to the press release, the facility did not file the proper reports regarding the chemicals processed at the plants.
“To inform the public and protect communities, EPA requires companies and organizations that manufacture, process, or otherwise use certain chemicals to report this information publicly every year. This reporting is an important part of ensuring that local communities have access to information about the presence of chemicals in their area,” said Deborah Szaro, acting EPA regional administrator.
The EPA explained that companies that use certain chemicals are required to provide an accounting to the EPA, which is combined into the Toxic Release Inventory and provided publicly for communities and businesses to review under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
This specific Swanton, Vermont location involved in the settlement reportedly used compounds of zinc and manganese that should have been reported. In the release, the EPA explained that reporting the chemical use and making it available publicly provides an incentive to companies to reduce their use of harmful chemicals and become more environmentally friendly.
“(Toxic Release Inventory) reporting informs surrounding communities about a facility’s toxic chemicals that could potentially harm public health and the environment,” the EPA explained. Earlier this year, the EPA expanded the chemicals that are required to be reported for the TRI to include PFAS and other chemicals which could be harmful.
