How one of the largest art fabricators in the world polluted our air.

For half a decade, a Washington-based industrial foundry violated our federal clean air laws, failing to report its compliance and allowing untrained workers to spray-apply coatings containing hazardous pollutants like chromium and nickel.

A recent settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency reveals a pattern of prolonged regulatory avoidance, culminating in a fine that allows the company to settle its case without ever admitting to the facts of its negligence.

The case of Walla Walla Foundry, Inc. (described by the New York Times as being one of the largest art fabricators in the world) is a disturbing look at our current regulatory system of self-reporting and enforcement which can be ignored for years, leaving public health and environmental safety in a state of unmonitored risk.

A Pattern of Negligence

An EPA consent agreement filed on September 24, 2025, details a series of multi-year violations of the Clean Air Act. The company’s actions demonstrate a consistent breakdown in legally mandated safety and reporting protocols.

• Hazardous Work, Untrained Workers: For over two years, from July 2020 to August 2022, the foundry directed painters to conduct spray applications of surface coatings containing chromium and nickel—federally listed “target HAPs” (Hazardous Air Pollutants)—without the required training and certification.
• Years of Silence: The company was required to notify the EPA of its compliance status for its surface coating operations by July 23, 2020. It failed to submit this notification until December 13, 2024, operating for more than four years before filing the legally mandated paperwork.
• Five-Year Reporting Blackout: Under a separate regulation governing iron and steel foundries, the company was required to submit semiannual compliance reports to the EPA. It failed to file these reports for five consecutive years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

A System Bypassed

The fallout from these violations is not measured in a single event but in the systemic corrosion of public safeguards. When a company fails to comply with regulations, the entire framework designed to protect communities and the environment is rendered ineffective.

The Public Health Risk

The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are not arbitrary rules; they are designed to control the release of substances known to be harmful to human health, including chromium and nickel compounds. The requirement for painter training and certification exists specifically to ensure the proper handling and application of these materials to protect workers and the public. By using untrained painters for over two years, the foundry bypassed a critical safety control, creating a prolonged period of unmanaged risk.

The Environmental Oversight Failure

The entire federal oversight system for thousands of industrial “area sources” relies on good-faith, timely self-reporting. For five straight years, Walla Walla Foundry failed to submit its semiannual compliance reports for its foundry operations. This created a total information vacuum, making it impossible for regulators or the public to know if the facility was adhering to the Clean Air Act. The system wasn’t just weakened; for this facility, it was nonexistent.

The Erosion of Trust

The settlement itself highlights a deep flaw in the accountability process.

The company can pay a fine while simultaneously refusing to admit to the factual allegations laid out by the EPA. This legal maneuver allows corporations to treat violations as a cost of doing business rather than a matter of public responsibility, undermining trust in both corporate integrity and the efficacy of regulatory enforcement.

A Penalty Without Accountability

The official response to these multi-year violations is a civil penalty of $78,480. While the EPA has the authority to assess penalties of up to $59,114 per day of violation, the final settlement represents a negotiated figure.

Furthermeow, the penalty is scheduled to be paid in installments based on the company’s documented “inability to pay” claim, with the total amounting to $79,769 after interest.

Crucially, the settlement allows Walla Walla Foundry to resolve the EPA’s claims without ever admitting fault. The company has certified that its violations are now corrected, but the agreement effectively closes the book on years of negligence with a financial transaction.

This case is a microcosm of a larger systemic issue: a regulatory framework that depends on corporate self-reporting can be easily disabled by simple non-compliance.

When the consequence for years of stonewalling is a negotiated fine and a legal clause that erases any admission of wrongdoing, our current regulatory system doesn’t compel accountability by any means! It merely manages it. Meaningful accountability would require not just a financial penalty like what happens right now, but a transparent acknowledgment of the failures and a commitment to the public trust that was broken.

I read the above consent agreement on the EPA’s website. Did you?: https://yosemite.epa.gov/OA/RHC/EPAAdmin.nsf/Filings/9112BE9CE77A9D1B85258D10006F6422/$File/CAFO%20Walla%20Walla%20CAA%2010%202025%200127.pdf