Honeywell International Inc., Illegal Storage of Hazardous Waste, Illinois 2023

Honeywell International Inc. Faces the Music

Honeywell International Inc. pleaded guilty to one felony offense for knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) on November 11, 2023, in federal district court in Benton, Ill.

The Illinois-based company stored hazardous waste at its uranium hexafluoride (UF6) conversion facility in Massac County, near the city of Metropolis and the Ohio River. The facility is licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to possess and otherwise manage natural uranium, which it converts into UF6 for nuclear fuel.

According to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, the citizens of Southern Illinois will not tolerate improper storage of hazardous wastes near their homes and businesses. The company’s illegal storage practices put employees at risk of exposure to radioactive and hazardous materials.

Honeywell International Inc. was sentenced to pay a criminal fine of $11.8 million. Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, Ignacia S. Moreno, stated that all companies who generate hazardous waste must have a permit to store the waste and must comply with its requirements. If they fail to do so, they will be prosecuted.

Honeywell International Inc., a Delaware corporation with corporate headquarters in Morristown, N.J., owns and operates the uranium hexafluoride (UF6) conversion facility. The company was found to have accumulated over 7,000 drums of KOH mud, which is classified as corrosive hazardous waste under regulations issued pursuant to RCRA. In April 2009, EPA special agents conducted a search warrant and found nearly 7,500 illegally stored drums containing waste that was both radioactive and hazardous.

Honeywell International Inc. pleaded guilty to knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in Benton, Ill. The company’s illegal storage practices put employees at risk of exposure to radioactive and hazardous materials. Honeywell International Inc. was sentenced to pay a criminal fine of $11.8 million.

Mandatory Facts:

Defendant: Honeywell International Inc.

Criminal Charges: One felony offense for knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

City and State: Benton, Illinois

Date: November 11, 2023

Sentence: Pay a criminal fine of $11.8 million

Dollar Amount: $11.8 million

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