On September 13, 2023, a Consent Decree was entered resolving a civil judicial case against Taylor Farms New England, Inc. for alleged violations of Clean Air Act Section 112(r)'s risk management planning (RMP) regulations and EPCRA Section 312 at the company's North Kingstown, Rhode Island facility. EPA inspected the company, which uses anhydrous ammonia as a refrigerant, to support local emergency planners and observed that the facility's evaporators lacked protection from forklift strikes. A few months later, an ammonia release occurred when a forklift struck an unprotected evaporator. Hundreds of employees were evacuated, and 14 were sent to the hospital for evaluation. The Consent Decree requires Taylor Farms to (a) pay $650,000 in civil penalties; (b) perform third-party audits at 19 other facilities in the corporate family to assess compliance with minimum safety standards; (c) certify that it has corrected the alleged violations in the complaint; (d) assess climate hazards and employee language barriers; (e) add three ammonia detectors on the roof of the Rhode Island facility; and (f) institute a corporate-wide tracking system to better monitor RMP and EPCRA deadlines. EPA has notified State, local and other federal agencies of the settlement. The facility is located in an area of environmental justice concern.
On July 26, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) lodged a proposed Consent Decree, resolving a civil judicial case against Taylor Farms New England