KENNEWICK, Wash. — The Environmental Protection Administration has ordered the J.R. Simplot Co. to pay a $65,250 penalty for pesticide safety violations south of the Columbia River.
The penalty covers problems cited by EPA at its Umatilla, Oregon, and Moreland, Idaho, facilities where large amounts of pesticide are stored and sold. Simplot did not respond to a request for comment.
EPA says the Oregon warehouse had a 12-inch hole in the floor that could allow spilled pesticide to contaminate the ground under the warehouse. The Idaho facility had pesticide spills that had solidified on the ground, creating a possible exposure for workers.
