Sept. 18

The city of Winslow, Ariz., will pay a $240,400 civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act related to asbestos, according to the U.S. EPA.

The consent decree, if accepted by the court, would resolve a 2007 complaint against the city, former City Administrator John Roche and the former owner of an apartment complex, for the improper demolition of nine buildings, collectively known as the Apache Apartments.

The complaint named Roche as a defendant because of his role in controlling and supervising the alleged unlawful demolition activities, according to the EPA.

In 2002, the city declared the apartment buildings uninhabitable and proceeded to demolish four of the nine buildings. The city failed to conduct a required inspection for asbestos and failed to notify the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality of its plans to demolish the buildings, according to the EPA.

DEQ inspectors, acting on a tip, discovered asbestos-containing materials in the remaining five buildings at levels requiring regulation of demolition and disposal. However, the city, under Roche’s supervision, demolished the remaining five buildings and hauled some debris to a city-owned vacant parcel, where it was burned, according to the EPA.

The proposed consent decree, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

"We are glad the city of Winslow is taking responsibility for these serious violations," said Deborah Jordan, Air Division Director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region.

Contact Waste News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at (330) 865-6172 or bgeiselman@crain.com

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