Safeway to Implement Corporate-Wide Plan to Reduce HCFC-22 Emissions
WASHINGTON — Safeway, a national grocery chain, will pay a $600,000 civil penalty in a settlement agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice.
The settlement resolves allegations that Safeway violated the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) by failing to promptly repair leaks of HCFC-22, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon used as a coolant in refrigerators, and failed to keep adequate records of the servicing of its refrigeration equipment.
Under the terms of the settlement, Safeway will implement a corporate-wide plan to significantly reduce its emissions of ozone depleting substances from refrigeration equipment at 659 of its stores nationwide, estimated to cost approximately $4.1 million.