PHILADELPHIA -- The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that 13 gas stations across the Delaware Valley have agreed to pay civil penalties and come into compliance with Clean Air Act regulations. These stations are in Doylestown, Media, Norristown, Philadelphia and West Chester, Pa.
EPA cited the stations for a variety of alleged violations that could release harmful volatile organic compounds, which lead to formation of ground-level ozone pollutants, into the air as customers fill up their gasoline tanks and when gasoline is delivered to [image-nocss] the stations.
The alleged violations include failure to use federally approved pump nozzles that recover gasoline vapors, failure to repair damaged or defective pump nozzles, failure to remove the overflow of gasoline spilled while delivering it to storage tanks, failure to repair damaged storage system caps and piping, failure to provide adequate training and instructions to the operators of the gasoline dispensing facilities, failure to maintain records of system operation and failure to have signs posted on how to use the systems with a telephone number to call if there is a problem.
"Since high levels of ozone smog can cause serious breathing problems, especially for people with asthma, controlling these pollutants is important to protecting public health," said Donald S. Welsh. "Making sure gas stations are installing and maintaining vapor recovery equipment is one effective way we can improve air quality."
These alleged violations were found during EPA inspections from Nov. 13 to Nov. 27, 2006. The penalties range from $1,250 to $250 per station.
The Philadelphia five-county region is the third area in which EPA's mid-Atlantic regional office has undertaken inspections and enforcement actions at gas stations for ground-level ozone requirements. The other areas are in Washington, D.C., and Allegheny County, Pa., where, like the Philadelphia region, air quality does not meet allowable limits for ozone.
The stations are:
Doylestown: Lukoil, owned by Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc.; BP/Amoco, owned by Breaktime Management Inc. Media: Lukoil, owned by MAK Petroleum Inc.; Sunoco Co-op (two stations), owned by Sunoco Inc. (R&M). Norristown: Sunoco/A-Plus Mini Mart, owned by Sunoco Inc. (R&M); Bp/Amoco, owned by Shiv and Manasi Enterprise Inc.; Mobil-American Auto Wash, owned by American Auto Wash Inc. Philadelphia: Cottman Tiger Exxon, owned by A&R Bros. Inc.; Lukoil, owned by Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc. West Chester: Lukoil, owned by West Falcon Inc.; Lukoil, owned by Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc.; West Chester BP, owned by DML Automotive Inc.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.