By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A St. Joseph pesticide distributor has been placed under receivership after failing to comply with a 2011 settlement to resolve violations of state and federal environmental laws.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports federal district judge Greg Kays has ordered a receiver to take control of facilities owned by HPI Products, St. Joe Properties, and William Garvey.
“We are encouraged by Judge Kays’ ruling,” EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister said in a written statement. “For too long, HPI Products Inc. has put its workers, the surrounding community, and the environment at risk by failing to comply with its legal requirements to safely store and dispose of hazardous waste. This ruling reinforces the joint efforts of the federal government and the state to protect health and enforce environmental laws.”
The EPA, the Justice Department, the state of Missouri, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources filed a motion in the Western District of Missouri. The judge granted the motion and temporarily froze the assets of the defendants, handing over the assets and operations to the receiver for 60 days. The receiver will determine whether the defendants have enough resources to comply with the 2011 settlement.
The government accuses HPI and St. Joe Properties of storing thousands of containers of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes at its six pesticide manufacturing, storage, and distribution facilities in St. Joseph. Federal and state inspectors found rusted and leaking containers. Some buildings had partially collapsed or are on the verge of collapsing.
Allegations filed against the companies reach back to 2008, leading to the company to reach a settlement in 2011. The EPA, though, contends the companies has made only sporadic progress on the settlement and continued to stockpile hazardous wastes at their facilities.