Monday is D-day for Truegain, the Rutherford waste oil refinery which must respond to a mandatory audit direction issued by the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
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The cost of the audit is to be borne by Truegain and the auditor must be approved by the EPA.
As the deadline for the response by Truegain loomed closer, the net was closing around the company from several quarters.
Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison welcomed news of the EPA action in relation to pollution issues commonly known as the Rutherford Stink.
Ms Aitchison has a Notice of Motion in the Legislative Assembly listed for debate. On the next sitting day, Ms Aitchison will:
- move the Rutherford stink has been an ongoing problem for residents in Maitland
- she will call on the Baird-Grant government to take efficacious action against polluters in the Rutherford Estate to stop the smells
- she will urge the government to fully investigate the health impacts of these emissions.
Ms Aitchison lodged the Notice of Motion in November in response to an extensive survey of affected residents she conducted in July last year.
The EPA north branch director Gary Davey said the audit notice was issued to Truegain because of ongoing concerns about the site’s poor regulatory history.
He said the company had repeatedly failed to comply with a range of conditions under its environment protection licence.
“The EPA has issued Truegain with 18 penalty notices since 2000 and has successfully prosecuted the company twice in the NSW Land and Environment Court,” Mr Davey said.
A mandatory audit will cover the adequacy of controls and procedures to test waste, the operation and maintenance of pollution equipment, the adequacy of chemical storage and the potential for spills to cause offsite groundwater impacts.