Pollution Update 2-14-13

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a public notice on Monday, Feb. 11, concerning a proposed penalty against Tyree Oil, Inc. under the Clean Water Act. EPA alleges that Tyree Oil violated the Clean Water Act by failing to prepare and implement adequate spill prevention, containment and countermeasures (SPCC) plans at Eugene and North Bend facilities. EPA also alleges that approximately seven barrels of oil discharged from an above-ground storage tank at Tyree Oil’s facility on West 1st Avenue in Whiteaker on Jan. 24, 2009, some of which reached the Willamette River, resulting in a sheen that lasted at least two days. EPA proposes a penalty of $27,920, along with Tyree Oil’s construction of a secondary containment vault at its transload facility located at 2340 Irving Road, which will cost approximately $200,000. EPA’s proposed order can be found at http://goo.gl/2mAvl, and information on commenting can be found at http://goo.gl/XyF8B.

Also on Feb.11, Oregon DEQ issued a warning letter to Arclin U.S.A. LLC for violating the Clean Water Act in December by exceeding its monthly million-gallon discharge limit by 20 percent. As noted previously in EW, Arclin’s discharges are pursuant to a Clean Water Act permit that expired in August of 1999, and that was issued in 1994.