Hazardous Waste Enforcement Snapshot: Missouri

JULY 25, 2014

State Focused on Hazardous Waste Enforcement

Data compiled by the federal government shows Fiscal Year 2014 has been a busy period for hazardous waste enforcement in Missouri.

Missouri has been one of the nation’s more active enforcement states in the past five years, and data aggregated in FY 2014 indicates a steadily consistent regulatory environment.

As part of the federal government’s well-publicized plan to scale back inspections by the EPA, states are now taking on greater responsibilities for hazardous waste enforcement and inspection actions.

Non-Compliance on the Rise

In FY 2014, Missouri state regulators have inspected 320 facilities, compared to 23 in the state by the EPA. A total of 168 facilities are sites with new violations by both state and federal regulators, and five of those violations fall into the category of “Significant Non-Compliance.” These figures place Missouri below the state average of percentage of inspections resulting in Significant Non-Compliance, but well above the national average based on percentage of facilities with Significant Non-Compliance following inspections by the EPA.

Missouri officials have taken formal actions in 17 of these cases, while another 121 are subject to informal actions. Similarly, the EPA has taken formal action in two instances and 19 others are subject to informal action by the agency.

Violations across the state have netted more than $60,000 in fines.

Like many other states, businesses in Missouri in the retail and manufacturing industries are facing constant pressure to operate in compliance with state and federal hazardous waste regulations. Even as the majority of inspections now come from state agencies, inspections resulting in penalties continue to be a reality.