Release Date: 08/18/2015
Contact Information: David Bryan, 913-551-7433, bryan.david@epa.gov
Environmental News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Lenexa, Kan., Aug. 18, 2015) - EPA Region 7 and Coastal Energy Corporation, Willow Springs, Mo., recently reached a proposed settlement valued at more than $200,000 to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The settlement requires Coastal to pay $25,000 in cash penalties and complete more than $175,000 in supplemental environmental projects.
Coastal Energy manufactures asphalt oil and stores approximately 2.8 million gallons of liquid asphalt, ethanol, and diesel fuel at this facility, which is directly adjacent to the Eleven Point River.
“The proposed settlement today represents a significant step forward in ensuring Coastal Energy Corporation is taking the necessary actions toward protecting the Eleven Point River, and the communities it serves," said EPA Region 7 Acting Regional Administrator Mark Hague.
EPA inspected the facility in early 2014. Coastal lacked a facility response plan and did not have an adequate spill prevention, control and countermeasure plan. It also failed to provide required secondary containment for oil storage. These Clean Water Act requirements are intended to prevent accidental releases, and to ensure facilities are better able to respond to releases that do occur.
Coastal Energy also failed to submit information about propane it stored on-site to state and local emergency response organizations as required by EPCRA. This requirement seeks to ensure that state and local officials, and the public, have access to information about the general hazard types and locations of hazardous chemicals.
To comply with the Clean Water Act and EPCRA, Coastal Energy improved its secondary containment, developed and implemented a Facility Response Plan, and revised its spill prevention plan. The company also submitted the required information about propane storage at its facility that it had previously failed to provide.
The proposed settlement agreement requires the company to spend at least $107,347 on the installation of technology to monitor its asphalt and ethanol tanks for accidental releases 24 hours a day. Coastal personnel will be automatically notified of a loss from one of these tanks during off-hours, reducing the chance of a release affecting the local environment. In addition, the company is required to spend a minimum of $73,200 in enhancing the emergency response capability of local emergency responders. The company will provide firefighter protective clothing, air packs, emergency oxygen, and containment boom to the Willow Springs Fire Department.
The technology improvements and response equipment are considered Supplemental Environmental Projects. A SEP is intended to be a project that produces environmental or public health and safety benefits, earning partial credit by EPA to offset the cost of the penalty.
“This Supplemental Environmental Project is an example of how using advanced monitoring technologies coupled with real time e-reporting can protect the environment and drive compliance,” said EPA Region 7 Acting Regional Administrator Mark Hague.
The proposed settlement document is subject to a 40-day public comment period before it becomes final. Information on how to submit comments is available online.