EPA penalizes Salinas company for allegedly violating chemical safety requirements

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Salinas company is facing an $80,000 penalty after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it violated the Clean Air Act.

The EPA said the company, GreenGate Fresh, will need to pay the penalty and bring its facility into compliance with federal law.

The agency said that in July 2019, it inspected the facility and found violations that include:

• Evaporators and piping that lacked enough protection from forklift strikes.
• Labeling and signage for process piping, equipment and fencing that was considered "inadequate and inconsistent."
• Safety information that did not accurately match up with the process at the facility.

“It is paramount that facilities properly manage the handling of hazardous substances to prevent accidental releases to the environment and to the surrounding community,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan. “The food production industry needs to properly manage chemicals like anhydrous ammonia or face significant Clean Air Act penalties.”

GreenGate Fresh's facility is used to chill and store produce products using anhydrous ammonia, which is described as a gas used as a fertilizer.