(Washington, DC - January 23, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Southern Wood Piedmont Company and its parent company, Rayonier Inc., have agreed to pay a $317,000 penalty to resolve violations of hazardous waste financial assurance requirements and have obtained more than $41.7 million in financial assurance.

On this page:

• Overview of Company
• Violations
• Summary of Settlement
• Civil Penalty
• Contact

Overview of Company

Southern Wood Piedmont Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rayonier, Inc., a global forest products company involved in the ownership, leasing, and management of forest resources and related real estate, and the production of performance fibers. 

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Violations

EPA identified the following violations under RCRA:

• Failure to comply with the RCRA hazardous waste financial assurance requirements for closure, post-closure, and corrective action obligations.

The five RCRA hazardous waste facilities subject to the administrative settlement are located in:

• Baldwin, Fla.
• Augusta, Ga.
• East Point, Ga.
• Waverly, Ohio
• Spartanburg, S.C.

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Summary of Settlement

Under EPA's administrative settlement, Southern Wood Piedmont Company:

• In 2010, obtained financial assurance for its RCRA hazardous waste facilities covering $41.7 million in closure, post-closure, and corrective action obligations.

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Civil Penalty

Southern Wood Piedmont Company will pay a $317,000 civil penalty.

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For more information, contact:

Cari Shiffman
U.S. EPA
Waste and Chemical Enforcement Division
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-2898
Cari Shiffman (shiffman.cari@epa.gov)

Lulu Cheng
U.S. EPA
Office of Site Remediation Enforcement
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-6299
Lulu Cheng (cheng.lulu@epa.gov)

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