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Connecticut Company Faces Up To $157,500 in Clean Water Act Violations

Release Date: 08/28/2007
Contact Information: Paula Ballentine (617) 918-1027

(Boston—August 28, 2007) C.P. Burdick & Son, Inc., a Connecticut fuel supply company, faces a penalty of up to $157,500 for alleged violations of federal Clean Water Act at its oil storage and distribution facility in Essex, Connecticut and at its office and shop in Ivoryton, Connecticut. The company is also subject to additional penalties of up to $32,500 per day for its failure to have filed chemical storage reporting information with local authorities, such as the fire department under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).

EPA conducted an inspection of both of the company’s Essex and Ivoryton facilities after the CT Department of Environmental Protection brought a September, 2006 oil spill at the Essex site to EPA’s attention. The inspection revealed that neither facility had prepared or implemented a spill prevention control and countermeasure or “SPCC” plan, which is required under the Clean Water Act. To date, C.P. Burdick has failed to respond to EPA information requests or submit evidence of its compliance with SPCC requirements. Subsequent to the inspection, EPA also discovered that the company had failed to file annual EPCRA forms regarding its oil inventory at the Essex facility.

“Oil spills can do significant damage to the environment,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. “EPA will continue to ensure that facilities handling oils follow established procedures to minimize risks of oil spills.”

Spill prevention and control laws help ensure that a tank failure or spill does not lead to oil being released into rivers or streams, and EPCRA reporting ensures that emergency planning and response personnel are able to respond safely and effectively in the event of a release

More information:

New England oil spill prevention: (epa.gov/region1/superfund/er/oilstor.htm)

National oil spill prevention: (epa.gov/oilspill)