Under EPA Settlement, Cold Storage Warehouse to Improve Safety
Improvements are designed to reduce the likelihood of an ammonia release
BOSTON — A Chicopee, Massachusetts, cold storage warehouse that utilizes ammonia refrigeration is spending more than half a million dollars, primarily on public safety enhancements, to resolve claims it violated the federal Clean Air Act’s chemical release prevention requirements in its handling of ammonia at the facility.
In an agreement with the New England office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pioneer Valley Refrigerated Warehouse (aka Pioneer Cold) agreed to pay $41,000 in penalties and to spend $322,100 on environmental projects meant to improve the safety of the surrounding community. The company has already spent more than $158,000 to bring its facility into compliance with the Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations under the Clean Air Act.