ExxonMobil to Pay Large Fine for 2012 Oil Spill in Louisiana
In federal court yesterday, the EPA decreed that ExxonMobil will pay nearly $1.5 million in fines for a Clean Water Act violation that ultimately led to a Louisiana oil spill more than two years ago.
On April 28, 2012, an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured around 20 miles west of Baton Rouge. That rupture caused crude oil to spill into surrounding areas which included a tributary attached to Bayou Cholpe. In federal court this week, the EPA presented evidence that the incident was the result of a Clean Water Act violation and fined ExxonMobil $1,437,120 in civil penalties.
“All businesses have an obligation to protect their workers, the local community and the environment in which they operate,” said Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at EPA Cynthia Giles. “EPA is committed to protecting communities by enforcing laws that reduce pollution in local waterways.”
“Oil spills into our nation’s waters endanger public health and the environment and warrant concerted enforcement efforts,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division Sam Hirsh. “Today’s settlement achieves a just result and furthers our enforcement mission.”
The civil penalty is in addition to ExxonMobil’s costs incurred while responding to the oil spill and replacing the ruptured pipeline.
To see the decree and to find out about the comment period, please click here.