EPA fines River Parishes Oil $1,800 for spill control violations

The US Environmental Protection Agency fined River Parishes Oil Co. $1,800 for violating federal Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations outlined under the Clean Water Act.

EPA’s Region 6 office in Dallas cited the Norco, La.-based company on Aug. 6 after a federal inspection of one of River Parishes Oil’s bulk storage facilities in Norco revealed that it had no SPCC plans, and that inspection reports had not been maintained for three years as regulations required.

Employees working at the site had not been trained to operate equipment to prevent discharges, and training or discharge procedure protocols and spill prevention briefings were not scheduled or conducted periodically, EPA said in its citation.

The inspection also found inadequate second containment and mobile storage containers were not positioned to prevent discharged oil from reaching nearby waterways, it continued. Norco provided certification that all identified deficiencies were corrected as part of an expedited settlement agreement, EPA said.

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