Alaska’s largest grocer has reacheded a settlement with the Envrionmental Protection Authority (EPA) under ozone provisions of the Clean Air Act.
According to a statement from EPA, Safeway will spend an estimated $4.1 million to reduce ozone-depleting substance emissions from refrigeration equipment at 659 stores nationwide.
Safeway’s settlement with the EPA and the Department of Justice also includes a $600,000 civil penalty.
“Up to 133 Safeway stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington are included in today’s settlement,” EPA officials said.“The settlement involves the largest number of facilities ever under the Clean Air Act’s regulations governing refrigeration equipment.”
The EPA says the violations in the case are related to the Clean Air Act, which requires that equipment containing more than 50 pounds of ozone-depleting refrigerants be repaired within 30 days if its annual leak rate exceeds 35 per cent.
The settlement addresses allegations that Safeway failed to adequately repair equipment containing the greenhouse gas HCFC-22, or keep proper repair records.
Safeway has also agreed to reduce its corporate-wide average leak rate from 25 per cent in 2012 to 18 per cent or below in 2015.
"The company will also reduce the aggregate refrigerant emissions at its highest-emission stores by 10 per cent each year for three years," the EPA.
The settlement covers almost every Safeway store which has refrigeration equipment regulated by the Clean Air Act.
Refrigerant leaks at stores in the company’s Dominick’s division were addressed separately in a 2004 settlement.
Meanwhile in Malta, a number of gas cylinders used in the recharging of air conditioning and refrigeration systems are being recalled because they are non-refillable but marked otherwise.
The cylinders were marked - 410a, 407c, 404a and 134a.
In a joint statement, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority said these cylinders posed a serious risk to users if they were assumed to be refillable and recharged for more than a single use.
Moreover, the placing on the market, including import of the these substances with non-refillable cylinders is strictly prohibited under applicable legislation.
Anyone who has these cylinders in their possession should refrain from using them and return them to the place of purchase. Operators found using or having these cylinders during inspections are liable to legal action.