Lionel Harris Oil Fined for Violating Clean Water Act
EPA has recently fined Lionel Harris Oil Co. of Cushing, Okla., $2,150 for violating federal Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations outlined under the Clean Water Act.
A federal inspection of the bulk storage facility located in Cushing revealed the facility had inadequate procedures to use if a discharge occurred, and the facility’s SPCC plan had not received a five-year review as required by federal regulations. Inspection and tests required by federal regulations were not in accordance with written procedures developed for the facility and were not maintained for three years.
Personnel working at the site had no training on the operation and maintenance of equipment to prevent discharges, no training on discharge procedure protocols, no training on applicable pollution control laws, rules and regulations, and spill prevention briefings were not scheduled and conducted periodically.
The inspection also found the facility was not fully fenced and entrance gates were not locked and/or guarded when the site was unattended. Additional discrepancies noted inadequate secondary containment of storage areas, mobile or portable storage containers were not positioned to prevent discharged oil from reaching waterways and vehicle traffic was not warned of aboveground piping or other oil transfer operations. As part of an Expedited Settlement Agreement with EPA, the facility has provided certification that all identified deficiencies have been corrected.
SPCC regulations require onshore oil production or bulk storage facilities to provide oil spill prevention, preparedness and responses to prevent oil discharges. The SPCC program helps protect the nation’s water quality, noted EPA. A spill of only one gallon of oil can contaminate one million gallons of water.