EPA Requires California’s Central Valley Meat Company to Improve Chemical Safety

EPA Requires California's Central Valley Meat Company to Improve Chemical Safety

December 10, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Central Valley Meat Company Inc. for claims of violations of the Clean Air Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. Under the settlement, the company will pay $210,332 in civil penalties and make significant safety improvements to the facility to come into compliance with federal environmental laws.

"It is crucial for any facility that manages hazardous substances like anhydrous ammonia to implement measures aimed at minimizing the risk of accidental releases to safeguard workers, first responders, and the general public," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. "We are pleased that Central Valley Meat has taken necessary steps to improve the safety and compliance of its facility."

Central Valley Meat Company Inc. is located in Hanford, California, and uses anhydrous ammonia to provide cooling capabilities to processing, shipping, cooler areas, silos, and chillers for its beef and meat products. Anhydrous ammonia can cause serious, often irreversible health effects when released. In addition to potential impacts from inhalation or skin contact, anhydrous ammonia is highly flammable.

EPA inspected the Hanford facility on March 30, 2022, and determined there were several violations of the Clean Air Act Section 112(r), also called the Risk Management Program and the General Duty Clause, including:

• Failure to document that ammonia refrigeration equipment complied with industry safety standards. For instance, wall penetrations and holes were not sealed, which could allow ammonia releases to harm workers in employee-occupied spaces.
• Ammonia piping and other equipment lacked adequate labeling, and the ammonia sensors were set to alarm at levels higher than unsafe concentrations of ammonia.
• Failure to correct equipment deficiencies in a timely manner, such as a machinery room's primary door seal needing to be repaired.
• Inconsistencies and missing elements in the facility's operating procedures and process hazard analysis, which is a required document designed to analyze and reduce the risks associated with the ammonia refrigeration system.

In addition to the Clean Air Act violations, the settlement included two violations identified under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Known Act. Each year, facilities are required to report to local responders and state regulators an inventory of the types of hazardous substances stored on-site. Central Valley Meat Company did not submit this report in 2019 or 2020, and it also failed to include an on-site propane tank in its inventory for several years.

Central Valley Meat Company has made significant improvements to its refrigeration system as a part of this settlement. It has corrected equipment deficiencies, properly labeled its refrigeration equipment, updated its operating procedures and process hazard analysis, coordinated emergency response plans with the local fire department, and submitted the required inventory reports.

Clean Air Act Risk Management Program

EPA's Clean Air Act Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations work to prevent accidental chemical releases in our communities and the environment. Facilities holding more than a threshold quantity of a regulated substance are required to comply with EPA's RMP regulations. The regulations require owners or operators of covered facilities to develop and implement an RMP and to submit a risk management plan to EPA. Learn more about the Risk Management Program rule.

Clean Air Act National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative

Thousands of facilities nationwide make, use, and store regulated substances, including anhydrous ammonia. Catastrophic accidents at ammonia refrigeration facilities-historically about 150 each year-result in fatalities and serious injuries, evacuations, and other harm to human health and the environment. EPA inspects these facilities as part of the agency's National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative, which seeks to reduce risk to human health and the environment by decreasing the likelihood of accidental releases and mitigating the consequences of chemical accidents. Learn about the National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative on reducing risks of accidental releases at industrial and chemical facilities.

For more information on reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations visit EPA's enforcement reporting website.

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