EPA Press Office:

EPA fines PMI of Baltimore MD $230,000 for Violations of Pollution Laws

PHILADELPHIA (April. 23, 2024) –Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced settlement of a multi-media case against a Maryland oil recycling facility. Petroleum Recovery and Remediation Management, Inc. (PMI) will pay a $230,000 penalty to settle alleged Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Clean Water Act violations at its Baltimore, Maryland facility.  

Included violations are related to processing, recycling and disposal of waste oil material including operation of bulk storage tanks, with concomitant risks of emissions of hazardous air pollutants, among other risks to human health and the environment.

The processing facility, located at 5200 and 5218 Curtis Avenue, receives, separates, and stores petroleum contaminated hazardous and non-hazardous waste materials, including liquids, sludge and solids for disposal, processing and recycling.

Prior to this settlement, PMI and EPA entered a compliance order requiring PMI to take actions to come into compliance with the CAA, RCRA, and CWA. The Facility now only stores used oils and diesel fuels, no longer receives volatile liquids and no longer has the processing equipment that was the main cause of the underlying violations.

The facility is in an area of potential Environmental Justice concern. Protecting communities with potential EJ concerns is a shared goal and responsibility of EPA and our partner agencies, including the Maryland Department of the Environment. EPA conducts joint planning with states and other co-regulators and, whenever possible, endeavors to perform enforcement and compliance work in partnership with them.