U.S. Fines Own A-Plant $47,500 for Toxic Waste

WASHINGTON —  The Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant near Denver will pay $47,500 for toxic waste violations, the largest civil sanction ever imposed against a federal facility, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.

The plant, operated by Rockwell International under contract with the Energy Department, produces plutonium triggers for nuclear devices and has been a source of concern to environmentalists for years because of its proximity to a large metropolitan area.

David Janik, an attorney with the EPA’s Denver regional office, said the violations at Rocky Flats involved leaking transformers and improper storage of highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs.

Both Rockwell and the Energy Department initially fought the settlement on grounds that the EPA had no power to bring enforcement actions against a site owned by a federal agency, EPA officials said.