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Automotive and Industrial Distributors of Pocatello agrees to spend over $38,000 to settle EPA spill prevention violations

Release Date: 03/23/2010
Contact Information: Kate Spaulding, EPA Compliance officer, (206) 553-5429, [email protected] - Hanady Kader, EPA Public Affairs, (206) 553-0454, [email protected]

(Pocatello, Idaho – March 23, 2010) Automotive & Industrial Distributors has agreed to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a $38,500 penalty for violations of the Clean Water Act requirements related to the prevention of oil spills. The alleged violations occurred at an oil storage and distribution facility operated by A&I, located at 2806 South Fifth Avenue in Pocatello, Idaho.

According to documents in the case, EPA alleges that A&I violated federal Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) regulations, as specified under the Clean Water Act. These regulations require that facilities handling or storing a certain volume of oil take specific actions to prepare for and prevent spills. SPCC requirements include having a detailed, written plan to guide the facility on a variety of measures for preventing and responding to petroleum spills.

During an EPA inspection of the A&I facility in September 2008, inspectors observed several violations of these regulations, most notably the failure to prepare and implement an adequate SPCC Plan.

“The SPCC regulations are designed so that control measures are in place before a spill occurs, and companies that handle or store oil need to comply with these regulations,” said Edward Kowalski, EPA Director of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle. “Developing plans, installing containment structures and taking other safety measures helps ensure that spills won’t occur, and if they do, they are contained.”

Several storm drains near the facility discharge directly to the Portneuf River, which is a spawning habitat for Cutthroat, Rainbow, and Brown trout. The Portneuf River feeds the Portneuf Aquifer, a source of drinking water.

For more information about EPA’s SPCC Rule, visit: https://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/spcc/index.htm

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