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Goodman Oil agrees to pay over $171,000 for storage tank violations at gas stations across Idaho

Release Date: 10/14/2010
Contact Information: Peter Contreras, EPA Groundwater Unit Manager, 206-553-6708, [email protected]; Hanady Kader, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-0454, [email protected]

(Oct. 13, 2010—Seattle) Goodman Oil Company and Goodman Oil Company of Lewiston will pay a $171,091 fine for a series of fuel storage tank violations at former gas stations across Idaho under a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice. 
 
The settlement, approved by the federal court in Boise, Idaho on October 1, covers a range of violations beginning as early as 1991 and ending in 2009. The companies have agreed to pay the penalty from the sale of their properties in Idaho and Oregon.
 
The violations occurred at former gas stations owned by the Goodman Oil companies in Boise, Homedale, Nampa, Weiser and Lewiston, Idaho. EPA inspectors identified fuel storage tanks at the stations that were not compliant with EPA requirements. They risked contaminating groundwater, which is a primary source of drinking water for much of Idaho.
 
“Poorly maintained fuel storage tanks and piping can endanger an area’s groundwater supply, so gas station owners must keep storage systems in good shape,” said Peter Contreras, manager of the Ground Water Unit at the EPA in Seattle. “Thousands of people in Idaho depend on groundwater, so we expect facilities to run their businesses in a way that protects nearby residents.”
 
The facilities had a range of violations that included failure to:
 

• Conduct adequate leak detection
• Upgrade pipes and tanks in a timely way to prevent corrosion
• Comply with an EPA request for information on the facilities
• Document financial resources to clean up petroleum releases and cover potential hazards to third parties, including citizens, in the event of a release