EPA v. COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION (NATIONAL CASE)

Case summary

On September 25, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, made a direct referral requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) file a civil action against Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco) for violations of the Clean Air Act Stratospheric Ozone Protection Provisions, 42 U.S.C. ? 7671, and the implementing regulations codified at 40 C.F.R. Part 82, Subpart F that Region 9 identified at 13 warehouses in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada. EPA expected similar violations to be found at other Costco warehouses in the United States, which includes 16 warehouses located in Illinois, three in Indiana, 11 in Michigan, six in Minnesota, seven in Ohio, and two in Wisconsin; there are approximately 429 warehouses located in all the EPA Regions. Under the settlement, Costco must implement a refrigerant compliance management system designed to prevent future violations of ozone protection requirements, and reduce its corporate-wide average leak rate from 24.1% to 19.1% or below in 2017 at 274 warehouses nationwide. The settlement also requires Costco to retrofit or replace commercial refrigeration equipment at 30 warehouses to use non ozone-depleting substances with a global warming potential of no more than 1,825. In addition, Costco must install secondary loop systems, using much less refrigerant than traditional direct expansion systems, and install centrally monitored leak detection systems, at all new warehouses.

Defendants (1)

• COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATIONNamed in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (70)

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - AUBURN HILLS

  400 BROWN ROAD, AUBURN HILLS, MI, 48326

  Registry ID: 110003715551

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - MOUNT PROSPECT

  999 N ELMHURST ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, IL, 60056

  Registry ID: 110005904520

• COSTCO - MOUNT PROSPECT

  999 N. ELMHURST ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, IL, 60056

  Registry ID: 110062635867

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - LAKE ZURICH

  680 S RAND ROAD, LAKE ZURICH, IL, 60047

  Registry ID: 110003059895

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - MAPLE GROVE

  11330 FOUNTAINS DRIVE N, MAPLE GROVE, MN, 55369

  Registry ID: 110031350099

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - WYOMING

  4901 WILSON AVENUE, WYOMING, MI, 49418

  Registry ID: 110021010984

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - SPRINGDALE

  1100 EAST KEMPER ROAD, SPRINGDALE, OH, 45246

  Registry ID: 110004738375

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - OAK BROOK

  1901 WEST 22ND STREET, OAK BROOK, IL, 60523

  Registry ID: 110009366079

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - METTAWA

  25901 RIVERWOODS ROAD, METTAWA, IL, 60045

  Registry ID: 110042177337

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - MAPLEWOOD

  1431 BEAM AVE, MAPLEWOOD, MN, 55109

  Registry ID: 110037418611

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - BOLINGBROOK

  830 E BOUGHTON ROAD, BOLINGBROOK, IL, 60440

  Registry ID: 110042177346

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - GREEN OAK TOWNSHIP

  6700 WHITMORE LAKE RD, BRIGHTON, MI, 48116

  Registry ID: 110020477312

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - LAKE ZURICH

  680 S RAND ROAD, LAKE ZURICH, IL, 60047

  Registry ID: 110003059895

• COSTCO WHOLESALE 342

  1320 S RTE 59, NAPERVILLE, IL, 60564

  Registry ID: 110014460172

• COSTCO WHOLESALE - ST LOUIS PARK

  5801 16TH STREET WEST, SAINT LOUIS PARK, MN, 55416

  Registry ID: 110043976034

• …and 55 more

Statutes cited

• CAA 608 — National Recycling & Emission Reduction Program

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION (NATIONAL CASE)entered 2014-11-05

  Primary law: CAA

  Federal penalty: $31,331

Timeline (7 milestones)

• 2011-09-20Referred To Dept Of Justice
• 2011-09-22Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 2014-09-03Final Order Lodged
• 2014-09-03Complaint Filed With Court
• 2014-11-05Final Order Entered
• 2018-04-30Enforcement Action Closed
• 2018-04-30Air Resolved