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Idaho oil distributor pays $15,000 penalty for inadequate spill prevention measures

Release Date: 09/19/2011
Contact Information: Kate Spaulding, EPA Compliance officer, 206-553-5429, [email protected]; Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-0454, [email protected]

(Seattle – Sept. 19, 2011) Kimble Oil, Inc. agreed to pay a $15,000 fine for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act at its oil storage and distribution facility in Challis, Idaho under an order issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

During an August 2009 inspection of the facility, inspectors noted several violations of Clean Water Act regulations including:

  • The failure to prepare an adequate spill prevention plan
  • Inadequate secondary containment structures
  • The failure to control drainage for undiked areas
  • The failure to conduct inspections and spill prevention training

According to Edward Kowalski, EPA Director of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle, the Clean Water Act’s Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures regulations are designed to ensure that plans and control measures are in place before a spill occurs.

“Preventing and containing oil spills is essential to protecting our rivers, lakes and streams,” said EPA’s Kowalski. “Developing plans, installing containment structures and taking other safety measures helps ensure that spills won’t occur, and if they do, they are contained.”

 The Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures regulations require that facilities handling or storing a certain volume of oil to have a detailed, written plan detailing the measures in place for preventing and responding to petroleum spills.

Kimble Oil facility is located approximately 50 feet from Garden Creek, which connects to Hannah Slough and then to the Salmon River.

For more information about EPA’s SPCC Rule, visit:
https://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/spcc/index.htm