Roadway Express Inc. has agreed to pay $65,000 in civil penalties for violations of the Arizona Hazardous Waste Management Act, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality announced Tuesday.
ADEQ said that on Sept. 17, 2004, a tractor trailer stored at the company's 2021 S. 51st Ave. Phoenix hub caught fire when illegally stored hazardous waste spontaneously combusted. A second rig also caught fire during the incident.
The Ohio-based company transports industrial, commercial and retail goods.
"The company's improper storage of hazardous waste posed a threat to the public, the environment, and the company's own employees," said Steve Owens, ADEQ director. "It's fortunate that no one was injured in this event. The substantial penalty reflects the seriousness of the violations."
During a subsequent inspection of the facility, ADEQ discovered that wastes had been stored for more than one year in an undivided tractor trailer without ventilation or means of separating the incompatible materials, in violation of Arizona laws. The wastes included about 30 containers of corrosive acids, batteries, and methyl ethyl ketone and xylene solvents. The settlement is subject to court approval.
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