Two local chemical companies were fined Monday by the
Environmental Protection Agency for over-reporting the amount of
pesticides they handled last year.
Hollister – Two local chemical companies were fined Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency for over-reporting the amount of pesticides they handled last year.
Trical Inc. and Soil Chemical Corporation of Hollister were each fined $4,400 each after an EPA inspection discovered that the companies had included pesticides in their 2004 production reports that the companies did not actually handled.
“We found this out through a routine inspection,” said EPA spokesperson Lisa Fasano. “We notified the companies, and they were very quick to take action and update their records.”
The reporting error occurred when Niklor Chemical Company of Mojave filled canisters owned by the two Hollister Companies for them.
Because the pesticides were actually owned by Trical and Soil Chemical, they included them on their 2004 pesticide production report for the EPA. But the pesticides should have been reported by Niklor, which actually produced and handled the chemicals, said Dennis Nino, corporate attorney and spokesperson for Trical and Soil Chemical.
“Since they (Niklor) were filling on our behalf, we reported it,” he said, adding that the company records have been updated .
Niklor was fined $4,400 for not reporting the same pesticides that it filled for Trical and Soil Chemical.
Pesticide manufacturers must report their pesticide production to the EPA each year in accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.
“The reporting requirements are necessary in the EPA’s effort to ensure safe management and distribution of these pesticides,” said Enrique Manzanilla, cross media division director for the EPA.
Luke Roney covers education and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at
lr****@fr***********.com
