Othello company fined for environmental violations

SEATTLE – The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that Multistar Industries Inc. of Othello will pay $850,000 for violations of environmental laws. The violations relate to Multistar’s storage of a hazardous chemical called trimethylamine, or TMA, at its facility in Othello, Washington.

“This ruling was a huge win for preventing chemical accidents,” said EPA Region 10 Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Director Ed Kowalski. “EPA’s Risk Management Program and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act both focus on planning for and preventing accidental releases of hazardous substances, especially where there are large vulnerable populations.”

According to the announcement, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington ordered Multistar on Aug. 1 to pay the penalty for five violations of the Clean Air Act Risk Management Program and two violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

In addition to the penalty, the Court granted EPA’s request for an injunction, which requires Multistar to come into immediate compliance with Clean Air Act requirements and submit semi-annual reports for the next five years showing ongoing compliance, stated the announcement.

According to the announcement, the Court said Multistar’s violations are extremely serious and risked the lives of the company’s workers and the community. Multistar has a long history of compliance issues at the facility, with prior violations settled with EPA in 2005, 2016, 2019 and 2021.