Connecticut Company to Pay $35,000 for Oil Spill
Erickson Metals Corp., a Cheshire, Conn., aluminum processing
company, agreed to pay a penalty of $35,000 to settle EPA claims that
it failed to prepare an oil spill prevention plan, which led to an oil
spill in July 2006, damaging wildlife and surrounding bodies of water.
The agreement, announced on Oct. 11, settles claims cited in a
complaint filed by EPA's New England office last summer against the
company, for illegally discharging as much as 6,000 gallons of cutting
oil from its facility. The oil spill occurred as a result of a ruptured
water tank that ultimately caused oil to be released to a nearby pond,
Judd Brook, and the Tenmile River, oiling birds, turtles, and damaging
aquatic vegetation.
The oil discharge prompted an emergency response, including EPA, the
local fire department and the Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection. EPA's New England office determined that the company had
not prepared a Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC)
plan, as required by the Clean Water Act. SPCC plans specify spill
prevention and response measures at facilities that store oil above
threshold amounts and help ensure that a tank failure or oil spill does
not lead to oil reaching bodies of water. After the spill, the facility
worked cooperatively with EPA and prepared an SPCC plan.
"This case exemplifies the value and importance of preparing plans
and taking actions to prevent oil spills before they occur," said
Robert W. Varney, EPA Region 1 administrator. "We are pleased to see
that Erickson worked cooperatively to ensure that an incident such as
this one does not happen again in the future."
For more information on EPA's oil spill regulations, visit www.epa.gov/oilspill.