LENEXA, KANSAS (December 10, 2024) — The US Department of the Army and its contractor, American Ordnance LLC, will pay $39,311 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The Army owns the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, Iowa, while American Ordnance operates the plant.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the facility operators violated the terms of its hazardous waste-management permit in 2023 when they improperly detonated explosives in a detonation chamber; failed to properly close the grenade-detonation chamber after it was moved to a different location at the facility; and burned munitions in open burn pans in excess of permit limits.
In response to the alleged violations, the Army and American Ordnance have taken the necessary steps to return the facility to compliance.
RCRA creates the framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste. Facilities owned by the federal government are subject to the same requirements for safely handling hazardous waste as privately-owned facilities.
