EPA v. NORTHERN METALS - ACO

Case summary

U.S. EPA Region 5 issued an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) to Northern Metals LLC (NMR) to address violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA). On September 24, 2020, EPA issued to NMR a Finding of Violation (FOV) pertaining to its scrap metal recycling facility located at 1803 2nd Street, in Minneapolis, Minnesota as well as to two other NMR facilities. The FOV alleged that NMR accepted for recycling small appliances such as refrigerators and room air conditioners that contained or once contained ozone-depleting and substitute refrigerants without either recovering the refrigerant from the items or verifying that the refrigerant had been properly recovered prior to delivery to NMR, in violation of regulations found at 40 CFR 82.155. The ACO requires NMR to develop a refrigerant management plan which will include proper refrigerant recovery from intact appliances and motor vehicles, verification of proper refrigerant recovery from such items that arrive at NMR's facility empty of refrigerant, notification to customers about proper refrigerant recovery, and documentation of compliance. NMR's refrigerant recovery program is estimated to recover approximately 180 lbs of ozone-depleting and substitute refrigerants per year.

Defendants (1)

• EMR NORTHERN METALSNamed in settlement

Facilities (3)

• NORTHERN METAL RECYCLING - MAPLE GROVE

  9025 ZACHARY LN N, MAPLE GROVE, MN, 55369

  Registry ID: 110069035948

• EMR NORTHERN METALS - SCRAPPY'S EXPRESS

  1803 2ND ST N, MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 55411-3409

  Registry ID: 110070551346

• NORTHERN METAL RECYCLING ST. PAUL

  521 BARGE CHANNEL RD, SAINT PAUL, MN, 55107

  Registry ID: 110061982387

Statutes cited

• CAA 608 — National Recycling & Emission Reduction Program

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• NORTHERN METALS - ACOentered 2022-09-30

  Primary law: CAA

Timeline (2 milestones)

• 2022-09-30Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 2022-09-30Final Order Issued