SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix recently fined the former owners and operators of four underground storage tanks (USTs) at the former SuperFuels gas station in Tuba City, Ariz., for federal UST violations.
Alleged former owner/operators John B. Knight,Jr., National Petroleum Marketing Inc., Sunwest Express Inc. and Navajo Trails Inc., and alleged former operator Robert D. Brown, operated four USTs containing diesel and unleaded gasoline at the station located in Tuba City on the Navajo Nation, adjacent to the Hopi [image-nocss] Tribe.
The complaint alleged that, at various times, the owners and/or operators failed to report a suspected release within 24 hours, conduct corrosion tests every three years, monitor tanks every 30 days, use valid release detection methods, provide adequate release detection for piping, maintain financial responsibility and respond to information request letters.
In the past, more than 13,000 gallons of gasoline leaked into the soil and groundwater from old underground storage tanks at the facility and from another station on the northern corner of the same intersection. The old leaking tanks were removed and replaced with new tanks, and cleanup systems were installed to address the soil and groundwater.
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Meanwhile, the owner of a former Denton, Texas, gas station was fined Wednesday for failing to test USTs, reported The Denton Record Chronicle. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) spokesperson Andrea Morrow told the newspaper that commissioners agreed with the findings of an administrative law judge in the violations case, which began in July 2006.
The settlement between the state agency and C.B. Express Inc. levies a $2,695 fine for violations discovered during a routine inspection. C.B. Express operated Discount Beer & Cigarettes. The business closed and the corporation ceased to exist in October 2007, according to state documents.
A TCEQ inspector determined that the station owner had not tested the USTs each month to check for fuel leaks, which is required by state law.
Agency officials recommended reducing the penalty from $3,500 to $2,695 after the station began to do the required testing, said the report.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.