General Petroleum settles with EPA over Los Angeles facility Clean Water Act violations

General Petroleum Corp. recently settled with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over violations at its petroleum storage facility on the Port of Los Angeles’ Terminal Island, for which the company did not have an adequate Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan.
 
"Spill prevention is a key planning element for oil storage facilities, especially those located near California’s precious waterways,” EPA Pacific Southwest Region Enforcement Division Director Kathleen Johnson said. “To reduce the risk to San Pedro Bay, we have been working with our state and local partners to ensure the deficiencies were all addressed.”
 
The SPCC is required by the Clean Water Act. General Petroleum’s violations stemmed from an April 2015 inspection jointly carried out by the EPA and the Los Angeles Fire Department. The company had not updated its SPCC despite major physical changes to the facility and the SPCC in place did not discuss discharge or drainage controls or the proper procedures in case of a discharge. The facility also did not have adequate secondary containment around tanks.
 
“This enforcement action, taken in partnership with the U.S. EPA, was needed to not only protect the city’s environment but to also protect the health and safety of the city’s residents,” LAFD Fire Marshal Chief John Vidovich, who oversees the inspecting and enforcing program for the facility, said.
 
As per the settlement, General Petroleum has already brought the facility into compliance with regulations and will pay a $15,500 civil penalty.