ALBANY, N.Y. -- Hess Corp. will bring 65 gas stations, as well as some oil storage facilities into compliance with state requirements and fund an important habitat restoration project in the Hudson River Estuary under an agreement reached yesterday with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis.
The consent order also requires a penalty of $1.1 million for storage violations at the facilities, a portion of which will be deposited into DEC's marine resources account, which helps support activities related to the improvement and protection [image-nocss] of New York's marine ecosystems.
"This agreement will address Hess's violations in New York City and the Hudson Valley, while also providing a valuable benefit to critical marine and freshwater ecosystems in the region," Grannis said.
The agreement resolves more than 100 violations at Hess's Brooklyn Major Oil Storage Facility, as well as 65 stations located in DEC's New York City and lower Hudson Valley regions. The violations go back to inspections in the 1990s and early 2000s and involve noncompliance with storage violations as well as the repair of a bulkhead without proper DEC tidal wetlands permits.
Hess has been cooperating with DEC throughout the negotiations and already began addressing many of the noncompliance issues raised during the investigation. All of the violations at the Brooklyn MOSF have been addressed to DEC's satisfaction. The violations stemming from inspections of the stations including inventory, records and equipment maintenance issues are more recent and are in the process of being addressed by Hess.
To help further ensure all violations are addressed, the order requires Hess to perform an audit, and if any violations are found, Hess is required to address them, with DEC oversight.
The order includes $300,000 to be administered by The Nature Conservancy as part of an Environmental Benefit Project (EBP) agreed to by Hess and DEC. The EBP will focus on the restoration and management of rare freshwater tidal wetlands in the Hudson River Estuary.
During a three-year project, The Nature Conservancy will select restoration sites in freshwater tidal wetland sections of the estuary that have been impacted by invasive plants. Biologists will develop invasive species removal plans and monitor the anticipated improvements to the ecosystem. Public and private property owners along the river will also be approached to implement management strategies that will help ensure the continued success of the project.
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