News Releases from Region 01

Eversource Comes into Compliance with Federal PCB Laws Under Agreement with EPA

BOSTON – Under an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Eversource Energy will pay $129,428 to settle several counts of allegedly violating federal PCB regulations at sites in Connecticut and Massachusetts. To EPA's knowledge, Eversource Energy, a utility service company, is now operating in compliance with federal laws regulating PCBs

"It's imperative that public utilities adhere to environmental laws in order to protect public health and the environment," said EPA New England Regional Administrator Dennis Deziel. "Public utilities must track and inspect their transformers to properly manage equipment to prevent releases of PCB-contaminated oil."

The case stems from several transformer spills at locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut, involving improper manifesting of PCB remediation waste, improper storage of a PCB transformer, and improper disposal of PCBs. The spills occurred during 2019 in Bridgewater and Portland, Connecticut, and Lee, Massachusetts. Eversource Energy has the expertise and resources to respond to PCB spills, and the soil contaminated by these spills was excavated and shipped off-site for disposal.

Federal PCB regulations include prohibitions of – and requirements for the use, disposal, storage and marking of – PCBs and items that have come in contact with PCBs.

The regulations are meant to reduce the potential for harm and to track PCBs from use to disposal. The violations at some of these locations were significant given the quantity and concentrations of PCBs involved.