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Six Louisiana Companies Fined for Violating the Clean Water Act

Release Date: 08/05/2009
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Anthony Suttice at 214-665-2200 or [email protected]

(Dallas, Texas – August 5, 2009) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined six Louisiana companies for violating federal Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations outlined under the federal Clean Water Act.

Federal inspections of the bulk storage facilities in May 2009 revealed a variety of violations though the violations differed at each facility. As an example: No SPCC plans were available, facilities were not fully fenced and entrance gates were not locked or guarded when sites were unattended, and containment systems, including walls and floors were not sufficient to contain oil spills. Mobile or portable storage containers were not positioned to prevent discharged oil from reaching waterways, spill prevention briefings were not scheduled and conducted periodically, and SPCC plans had inadequate or no discussion of facility security. The inspections also revealed plans were inadequate or did not discuss facility transfer operations and pumping, no training on the operation and maintenance of equipment to prevent discharges, no training on discharge procedure protocols, and no training on applicable pollution control laws, rules and regulations.

The companies inspected and fined were:

A-1 Electrical Contractors, Inc., 2783 Lapalco Boulevard, Harvey LA, $1,350
Joe’s Landing, 4811 Privateer Boulevard, Barataria LA, $1,100
Salty’s Marina, 117 Highway 22 East, Madisonville LA, $850
Southern Seaplane, Inc., #1 Cogville Drive, Belle Chasse LA, $700
Westwego Export Terminal, 933 River Road, Westwego LA, $700
Stanco, Inc., Vehicle Maintenance Yard, 70459 Highway 59, Abita Springs LA, $650

As part of an Expedited Settlement Agreement with EPA, the companies have provided certification that all deficiencies have been corrected.

Additional information on SPCC regulations is available at https://www.epa.gov/oilspill

More about activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/region6

EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/aug2009/html