Lewisburg Penitentiary Exposed Inmates to Toxics

Lewisburg Penitentiary Exposed Inmates to Toxics



October 2007

 The Federal Bureau of 
Prisons and the Federal Prison Industries have paid a $38,100 penalty to 
the federal government to settle a lawsuit alleging hazardous waste and 
Clean Air Act violations at the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Union 
County, Pennsylvania. 
The Lewisburg prison is a high security facility housing male inmates. 
The agreement announced Thursday resolves the alleged violations 
discovered during a comprehensive inspection of the prison in July 2004. 
At the time of the inspection, Federal Prison Industries, Inc., also known 
as UNICOR, was manufacturing metal lockers at the facility and using a 
paint booth that was not covered under the facility's air permit. 
The paint booth, which was used to powder coat the metal lockers, was a 
source of air emissions of particulate matter. Other alleged violations 
include storing hazardous waste without a permit and improperly labeling 
waste paint containers, waste organic adhesives, and 55 gallon waste 
drums. 
"Like all private and public facilities, prisons have a duty to comply 
with laws protecting public health and the environment," said U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Donald Welsh. "The 
Lewisburg prison case is part of EPA's effort to ensure correctional 
facilities are complying with environmental regulations." 
The EPA's mid-Atlantic regional office has an ongoing prison initiative 
which includes comprehensive inspections, enforcement and compliance 
assistance. Lewisburg Federal Prison was the 11th prison inspected as part 
of this initiative. 
There are over 100 state, federal and local prisons presently operating in 
the mid-Atlantic region. 
For additional information on the prison initiative visit 
http://www.epa.gov/region03/compliance_assistance/prisons.htm. 
In addition to the settlement announced today, the Federal Bureau of 
Prisons has agreed to self-audit all 16 of its prisons in the mid-Atlantic 
region. The Bureau of Prisons will disclose all EPA-enforceable regulatory 
violations discovered during the audit and will correct these violations 
within 60 days. 
Environmental problems at some prisons include improper handling and 
disposal of hazardous waste materials, inadequate monitoring of 
underground storage tanks, and the failure to have a Spill Prevention 
Control and Countermeasure Plan in place. 
The EPA offers compliance assistance resources and tools designed to 
assist facilities in complying with federal and state environmental laws. 
These resources can help facilities understand their obligations, improve 
compliance and find cost-effective ways to comply through the use of 
pollution prevention and other innovative technologies. 

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