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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine's Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory in Augusta has reached a settlement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency over claims the lab violated state and federal hazardous waste laws.
The Kennebec Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1OxklUy ) the $100,000 settlement was announced Monday by the EPA's New England Regional Office.
Per its terms, the lab must pay a $27,000 fine and purchase $73,000 worth of equipment for first responders in Augusta and Waterville and the state Department of Environmental Protection.
EPA officials say the lab violated the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act as well as Maine's hazardous waste laws by failing to properly identify wastes, failing to segregate incompatible wastes during storage and failing to follow its own treatment procedures.
State Department of Health and Human Services officials were unavailable for comment.
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Information from: Kennebec Journal, http://www.kjonline.com/
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