CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Hazardous Waste Lawsuit Settled

The state announced a $1.3-million settlement of a lawsuit Friday against Safety-Kleen Corp., the world’s largest recycler of degreasing solvents, for repeated violations of the state’s hazardous waste control law at 10 California facilities. State officials said the size of the settlement, the fourth largest, was justified by the number of alleged violations and the fact that it was the second enforcement action taken against the Illinois-based company in two years. A lawsuit filed in April charged Safety-Kleen with nearly 100 violations at state facilities, but that number was reduced to 65 after further investigation. The suit alleged violations at Safety-Kleen plants in Los Alamitos, Highland, El Monte, San Diego and Sylmar in Southern California and in Central and Northern California. Alleged violations included improper labeling of waste, deficient record-keeping and the operation of unsafe trucks.