The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that BP Products North America will pay a $210,000 penalty and start an improved oil spill response program at its oil terminals nationwide because of its violations of federal regulations at its Curtis Bay Terminal in Maryland. The beleaguered oil giant will also conduct what is being called a “comprehensive compliance audit” to resolve alleged violations of oil spill response regulations at Curtis Bay. Under the settlement filed today in federal court by the U.S. Department of Justice, BP Products will implement a first-of-its-kind program of spill prevention measures at its 33 non-refinery petroleum products terminals across the country.
EPA alleged that BP Products violated federal regulations requiring oil storage facilities to conduct drills and exercises to respond to oil spills. The civil penalty is EPA’s highest to date for violations of oil drills and exercises requirements where there was no discharge of oil. BP, of course, was responsible for dumping 5 billion gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico after a blowout on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig killed 11 men. A former BP worker is under indictment for the disaster in an ongoing investigation that has thus far not reached executive levels.
“Being prepared to respond to an oil spill can be the difference between dealing with a small, contained event or a full-blown environmental disaster,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
“After twice failing to pass oil spill response exercises at its Curtis Bay facility, under the settlement, BP is required to put preventative measures into place at all of its terminals nationwide that will reduce the threat of oil spills and protect our nation’s valuable waterways. These measures also raise the bar for forward-looking companies seeking to ensure that their facilities are ready to respond quickly in the event of a spill.”
See:
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- BP to Pay $13 Million More in fines for Refinery Worker Deaths
- BP Fined $8 Million for Clean Air Act Violation in Indiana
- Former BP Engineer Arrested for Obstruction of Justice in Ongoing Deepwater Horizon Criminal Investigation
- Gulf after BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Needs Help
- BP to Pay $426,500, Reserve $240 Million for EPA Violations
- Big Oil has Big Day in U.S. Senate as Tax Breaks are Intact
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