LAPORTE, Ind. -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 has reached an agreement with Port Stop CITGO, located in LaPorte, Ind., on an alleged violation of federal underground storage tank (UST) regulations.
The station owner will pay a $25,000 penalty, which represents the proposed penalty of $48,775 reduced in light of Port Stop's willingness to settle the case and other factors as justice may require, according to the EPA.
EPA inspections from May to August 2005 showed that the Port Stop CITGO facility failed to [image-nocss] properly test and maintain the corrosion protection systems on three underground gasoline storage tanks, said the agency.
On Jan. 19, 2007, the EPA Region 5 signed a consent agreement and final order with Robert Magnuson, owner of ort Stop CITGO, to settle violations of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) and the EPA's UST regulations.
The Port Stop CITGO facility has three 10,000-gallon steel USTs for holding gasoline prior to sale to the public. In order to ensure that steel tanks such as those do not rust through and release their contents to the environment, tanks are equipped with corrosion protection systems.
The EPA Region 5 initiated this enforcement action by filing an administrative complaint in March 2006, alleging that Port Stop CITGO failed to test and to maintain its tanks' corrosion protection system as required by law.
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