NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2010
CONTACT: Deputy District Attorney, Christa McKimmy, Humboldt County District Attorney’s Environmental and Consumer Protection Unit
PHONE: (707)268-2575
HUMBOLDT COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, IN COOPERATION WITH THE CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE AND THE STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD OBTAIN ONE MILLION AND ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR JUDGMENT AGAINST BIG OIL & TIRE, CO.
The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office announced today that a judgment was entered against Big Oil & Tire, Co., for One Million and One Hundred Thousand dollars ($1,100,000.00) arising out of Big Oil's failure to maintain and test their underground fuel storage tank systems which resulted in potential releases, leaks and discharges at the defendant's facilities. The case was prosecuted in partnership with the California Attorney General's Office, the California District Attorneys Association, and the State Water Resources Control Board.
In addition to the monetary judgment, the judgment requires Big Oil & Tire to make any and all necessary repairs to make their underground storage tanks compliant with state and federal laws and regulations; install and maintain functional spill and overfill prevention equipment on their tanks; submit to and receive a certification that each of their underground storage tanks passed secondary containment and cathodic protection testing; and submit to all necessary compliance inspections. Big Oil & Tire, Co., is also required to cooperate with the People in any future investigation involving violations of environmental laws should such violations be revealed to the People.
District Attorney, Paul Gallegos, credited the judgment to the hard work and dedication of Supervising Deputy Attorney General Robert Byrne; Deputy District Attorney, Matthew Maclear; the California District Attorneys Association Circuit Prosecutor Project; David Boyers, State Water Resources Control Board Senior Staff Counsel and the many dedicated state and county regulatory employees that made the judgment possible.
How many more will there be?
Wouldn't it be nice to see Mr Gags and his possee going after marijuana growers for spilling diesel and pouring out used motor (generator) oil? Not to mention all the fertilizers, rat poison, and lime that has run off into the local rivers for the past couple decades.
ReplyDeleteJustice for all ! Just not in Humboldt County.
It's a big fine for a non issue. Nothing really happened. This is what will happen to our truck drivers soon. C.A.R.B. and the like will make criminals out of us all. BULLSHIT! is the watch word for California.
ReplyDeleteSo what the real impact will be is that Big Oil and Tire (a misnomer if ever there was one) will instead choose to close their local gas stations of which there a quite a few. This in turn will leave locals with fewer places to get gas, reduce competition (such as it is), and cause prices to rise yet again.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pauly.