PITTSBURGH -- The Allegheny County (Pa.) Health Department said that 37 area gas stations have been fined a total of $46,050 for failing to properly maintain the air pollution control devices on their gasoline dispensing equipment; 17 BP stations were fined, nine Sunoco, seven Exxon, three Sheetz and one independent dealer.
The stations, cited last summer during a round of routine inspections, are among 140 in the county required by the U.S. Clean Air Act to be equipped with Stage II vapor recovery systems.
The amount of the fines [image-nocss] ranged from $375 to $3,375 for each station, depending on the number and severity of the violations. All 37 stations were cited for having one or more torn and potentially leaking hoses; 10 were cited for leaky or broken caps and seven for dented nozzles.
In other environmental news, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $299,216 to the Bernalillo County (N.M.) Environmental Health Office. County officials will use the funds to collaborate with station owners and auto dismantlers to help reduce benzene and heavy metals in the aquifer and air. The EPA awarded the grant as part of its Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. CARE is a competitive grant and technical assistance program to support community-based education and public health protection projects across the country.
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