Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

The Steel Tank Institute is unable to guarantee the accuracy of any information. Every effort has been undertaken to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication but it is not intended to be comprehensive or to render advice. Websites may be current at the time of release, however may become inaccessible. The newsletter may be copied and distributed subject to: • All text being copied without modification • Containing the copyright notice or any other notice provided therein • Not distributed for profit

By learning about the misfortunes of others, it is STI's hope to educate the public by creating a greater awareness of the hazards with storage and use of petroleum and chemicals. Please refer to the many industry standards and to the fire and building codes for further guidance on the safe operating practices with hazardous liquids. Thanks and credit for content are given to Dangerous Goods-Hazmat Group Network. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DangerousGoods/

USA, WI, MILWAUKEE DECEMBER 30 2006. BREACH FOUND IN GAS PIPE AT FALK CORP. Investigators have discovered a crack in a propane pipe near the scene of the explosion at the Falk Corporation earlier this month. A pipe believed to have been involved in the explosion was tested Thursday by passing nitrogen gas through it. Milwaukee's District Attorney E. Michael McCann told 12 News those tests revealed a crack in that propane pipe, but said it's too soon to tell what role that crack may have had in the explosion. "Why it was leaking, was it known there was a lead, what's the history of that pipe, who knew about the history, was there grouinds, is there anything that happened that would have damaged that pipe, did people know that that pipe might be damaged," McCann said. McCann says investigators expect to learn more when they excavate the area in the next couple of weeks. The actual source of the leak, as well as what ignited it, is still under investigation. Three Falk employees died when propane gas exploded at the Falk plant near 30th and Canal streets in Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley on Dec. 8. The District Attorney, the Milwaukee Police Department, the Occupationaal Safety and Health Administration are all investigating, as well as the law firm hired by the families of the three men killed in the blast. http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/10632006/detail.html

USA, OH, IRONTON DECEMBER 31 2006. JUDGE ORDERS CLEANUP OF FORMER ETHANOL PLANT A judge has given the owner of a Kentucky-based biofuel company until May 30 to clean up its industrial site along U.S. 52 in southeast Ohio. Biomass Energy and owner Mark Harris, of Nicholasville, Ky., bought the 80-acre site from South Point Ethanol in 1999 with the intention of building an electricity generating plant, according to court documents. There had been an ethanol plant on the site, which included a number of abandoned buildings, a concrete bunker containing coal waste and other industrial debris. Over the years, there had been numerous complaints that the site, visible from the highway between Ironton and Huntington, W.Va., was an eyesore and could develop into a source of drinking water pollution. Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Frank McCown set a cleanup schedule Wednesday in a hearing with Harris and representatives from the Environmental Enforcement Section of Attorney General Jim Petro's office. The agreement gave Harris 21 days to secure a bond to fund the removal of coal and coke waste, and gave him until May 30 to complete the removal. "I want it to be sparkling clean like your granny's kitchen," the judge said. "If there is anything up there fines will be levied to the maximum level."

283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 1 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

A message was left seeking comment from Harris at his Biomass office. McCown ordered that no scrap materials be removed from buildings until the money for the project is approved. The company also must turn over its financial records to the state within two weeks and repair structural deficiencies to the concrete bunker where waste is stored. McCown said there had been reports of asbestos buried on the site, and questioned why the Ohio EPA had not taken water and soil samples. Clint Shuff, an EPA inspector, said he and investigators from attorney general's office found no evidence of asbestos burial. Petro's office filed a contempt-of-court lawsuit last month alleging that Harris failed to comply with a court-ordered cleanup. Biomass was sued by the attorney general's office in 2004 and forced to pay $26,000 for improper storage and slow removal of more than 10,000 tons of tobacco at the site. At that time, the company agreed to remove all the coal and coke products within a year and a half. When it acquired the site, Biomass had plans for a $150 million renovation of the former ethanol plant that would have allowed it to operate a wood-fired plant that could generate enough electricity to supply 150,000 to 200,000 households. http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/16346710.htm

USA, KS, BRAZILTON DECEMBER 3 2007. POLICE LOOKING FOR VANDALS AFTER OIL SPILL Law officers in southeast Kansas are looking for vandals who opened valves on oil storage tanks, causing a 200-barrel spill. Crawford County deputies say the spilled oil ran onto a road near Brazilton, then flowed into a ditch and found its way into a creek. State health and environmental officials were called to the scene Saturday to supervise the cleanup. Two-hundred barrels contain about 84-hundred gallons of oil. Deputies say locks on the valves were damaged and removed, allowing the oil to spill. The tanks are owned by N and W Enterprises of Fort Scott. http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/5060171.html

USA, MO, KANSAS CITY JANUARY 6 2007. REPUBLIC GAS TANK FIRE HAS FORTUNATE ENDING – ALL WORKERS ESCAPE UNHARMED AFTER SPARKS IGNITE FUEL. Wes Johnson Workers using cutting torches inside an empty 1.5-million-gallon gasoline storage tank accidentally ignited a small pocket of undetected fuel Wednesday afternoon. All three workers escaped from the Magellan Pipeline Co. storage tank, but then went back in and extinguished most of the blaze with dry-chemical fire extinguishers. "That's the main thing, that everyone got out without any physical damage," said Magellan spokesman Richard Louderback. Republic Fire Chief Duane Compton said he feared the worst when his crews rolled up to the facility. He saw black smoke pouring from the top of one of the huge white fuel-storage tanks. "They've got about 12 million gallons of gasoline and diesel stored out there," Compton said. "When we saw that smoke coming out the top of one of those tanks we immediately started calling for mutual aid. "Things could have gone south in a real hurry." The workers' cutting torches ignited a small pocket of unleaded gasoline, which in turn ignited a secondary fire in the rubber sealing ring around the edge of the internal floating roof. When the tank is being used, the internal floating roof sits directly on the fuel and helps keep explosive fumes from building up inside. Compton said one of the workers told him that he exited the tank for good when the soles of his shoes began melting on the floating roof. Republic firefighters quickly cooled down the internal roof with water and extinguished the fire burning in the rubber seal. 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 2 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

"We were very lucky today," Compton said. Fire departments from Springfield, West Republic, Billings, Battlefield and Brookline sent trucks and crews to the scene. http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/NEWS01/701040398/1007

USA, OHIO, MARIETTA JANUARY 6 2007. AGENCY TO INVESTIGATE FUEL LEAKS AT STATIONS Sam Shawver Speedway/SuperAmerica locations on Second and Seventh streets in Marietta are being investigated for apparent fuel leaks from their underground storage tanks. Groundwater monitoring wells are being drilled in the city right of way near the Speedway store at 433 Second St., according to a letter to the city’s engineering department from Keith A. Hughes, advanced environmental representative with Speedway SuperAmerica LLC in Springfield. “There was a confirmed release of gas and diesel at that location that was above the baseline level at which we’re required to take action,” Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the Ohio Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulation (BUSTR), said on Thursday. “The Second Street location is in the Tier 1 phase at this time, boring monitoring wells to determine how bad the leak is affecting the groundwater,” he explained. “A report is due to us in the first part of February,” Cartmill said. “Then we will move into Tier 2, considering possible health risks to people and animals, and we’ll determine how to proceed from there.” He emphasized that, according to reports filed with BUSTR, no one is being exposed to harmful chemicals at either of the Speedway locations at this time. Cartmill said a similar incident was reported when fuel tanks were installed at the Second Street location in 1989, but in 2003 the area was designated for “no further action” by BUSTR. The latest release was discovered in 2005 while dispenser islands were being replaced at the facility. “Our rules require soil samples to be taken to ensure contamination hasn’t escaped to the environment, and in this case we found that it had,” Cartmill said. “This leak could be related to the one in 1989, but we don’t know at this time.” The Second Street Speedway has two 12,000-gallon gasoline tanks, one 12,000-gallon diesel tank, and one 4,000-gallon kerosene tank. The Seventh Street Speedway store had a gasoline and diesel release that was located by an automatic line leak detector installed at the tank. Those tanks have since been replaced. The original tanks were reportedly installed at the Seventh Street location in 1995. “They’re now in the Tier 2 phase, meaning the risks of this release are being defined. The report (from that location’s Tier 1 phase) will determine if the release had an impact on humans or wildlife and the impact, if any, on nearby homes, businesses or wells,” he said. “They also have to complete a two-year monitoring plan to demonstrate any assumptions they made in the initial report are correct.” The Seventh Street facility has one 12,000-gallon and two 8,000-gallon gasoline tanks as well as a single 4,000-gallon diesel tank. There are approximately 23,500 registered underground storage tanks throughout Ohio. “About three times a week our agency receives a report of a leak in at least one of those,” Cartmill said. “While that sounds significant, the number of leaking tanks is actually a very small percentage of all tanks present in the state. “Typically they’re gas and diesel leaks, but any leak is bad. We ensure that action is taken to clean up any contamination, then look at the potential long-term health and environmental effects.” Jim Leach with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said his office may or may not become involved with the fuel leaks. “We may if there’s a large spill, but there’s a lot of incidents that we don’t get involved with unless we’re requested to do so,” he said. “A lot depends on whether the spill is contained to the immediate location or if it plumes out into the surrounding area, getting into sewers, etc. “We will be involved if there’s some environmental impact to the surrounding area,” Leach said.

283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 3 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

A call to Speedway SuperAmerica in Springfield had not been returned as of Thursday evening. http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new33_15200784541.asp

USA, AL, MOBILE JANUARY 9 2007. OIL SPILL CAUSES PARTIAL SHUTDOWN An oil spill has forced a partial shutdown of Alternate U.S. 90/98 between the Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge and the Bankhead Tunnel, with the route open only to trucks carrying hazardous materials. Tony Harris, spokesman for Alabama Department of Transportation, said the U.S. Coast Guard requested the road be closed Sunday afternoon. It could be closed for about three days, according to Mobile police spokesman Eric Gallichant. Harris said all nonhazardous trucks and vehicles are being directed to stay off the bridge and to use either the George Wallace Tunnel or Bankhead Tunnel near downtown. Trucks carrying hazardous materials are barred from using the tunnels and will be allowed to use the bridge while crews work on the cleanup. The U.S. Coast Guard said a crude oil storage tank leaked about 100 to 300 barrels of oil into a drainage ditch at a containment farm at the Alabama Bulk Terminal on Blakeley Island about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Guard officials said heavy rains Sunday caused the oil to spill over into a drainage ditch, where it was contained. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS02/701090341/1009

BULGARIA, SOFIA JANUARY 11 2007. KATHIMERINI: NEW OIL SPILL IN BULGARIAN SECTION OF DANUBE An oil spill was registered in the afternoon in the area of Novo Selo, where the Bulgarian section of the Danube starts, the online edition of the Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported. The size and density of the spill were not immediately clear. A team of experts took samples to test them. The several oil spills in the Danube River, whose source was the Serbian refinery Prahovo, caused tension between Sofia and Belgrade at the end of last year, the newspaper reminds. http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n103028

USA, AL, MOBILE JANUARY 11 2007. OFFICIALS BLAME OIL SPILL ON VALVE THAT WAS LEFT OPEN Ben Raines No one is sure why a giant oil tank on Blakeley Island sprang a leak Saturday afternoon, but authorities are blaming the resulting spill of up to 12,000 gallons on a valve left open by workers at the Hunt Crude Oil Supply Co. The storage tank was still leaking Tuesday, though everything that flowed out of it was being captured by a vacuum truck. Cleanup crews continued scooping oil contaminated sediments and vegetation from a roadside ditch Tuesday afternoon and globs of oil were still prominent in the water. Luckily, no oil has made it to Mobile Bay or the Mobile River, according to federal officials, who said the spill was confined to ditches alongside Alternate U.S. 90/98, which runs from the Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge to the Bankhead Tunnel. Spill specialists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service responded to the accident and are supervising the cleanup. Officials said the 10-million-gallon tank that ruptured was due for an inspection in 2007, adding that the Alabama Bulk Terminal Co. facility is inspected regularly and is not known for violations. Alabama Bulk Terminal is owned by Hunt Crude Oil. An Alabama Bulk Terminal official said about 6 million gallons of oil had been removed from the damaged storage tank by Tuesday and he expected the remaining 3 million gallons would be drained out by today. The company's tank farm -- which includes a number of tanks of various sizes -- is surrounded by several large dikes designed to contain any spills. In this instance, it appears that a valve used to drain rainwater that collects in the diked area was opened at 3:15 a.m. Friday morning, and remained open all day Friday through Saturday afternoon. The leak in the storage tank was discovered at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The valve was closed some time afterward.

283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 4 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

"The problem with the dike area is when it rains, you have to have a way to let the water out. That's normal operating practice," said Drew Altemara, with the oil storage company. "That valve was open on purpose. It drains into that drainage ditch. It was being monitored. It was just bad luck that the tank happened to leak while the valve was open." Spill experts said that leaving stormwater drainage valves open any longer than necessary -- such as in anticipation of coming rains -- is risky at best and means the facility is at greater risk of spilling oil into the environment. "Leaving the valve open was unfortunate," said Pete Tuttle, with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "But from the looks of things, they did really well. They were able to contain the spill in the face of all the rain. They were afraid of catastrophic failure of the tank, which fortunately did not happen. They were able to contain most of the oil in the ditch, which apparently required an around-the-clock effort." Tuttle said he followed the ditch toward the marshes surrounding Polecat Bay, which is connected to Mobile Bay, and saw no sign of oil in the area near the bay, nor any sign of significant environmental damage. Altemara said there might have been several reasons to leave the valve to the diked area open for as long as 36 hours. "It may be that the area was still draining, or that the valve was left open in anticipation of the rain on Saturday," Altemara said. Company officials said they would be unable to determine why the tank failed until it is fully drained, which is expected by this afternoon. http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1168424167157650.xml&coll=3

USA, MA, HOLDEN JANUARY 13 2007. 7 HOLES FOUND IN OIL TANK - HOLDEN TRACKS 9,000 GALLONS Jean Laquidara Hill The 46-year-old underground oil tank that leaked about 9,000 gallons of oil into the soil at Jefferson School on Main Street has been removed from the ground, revealing more holes in it. The section of the school served by the leaking oil tank houses administrative offices, and has been heated since Monday by oil from a temporary tank. School Superintendent Thomas G. Pandiscio said yesterday that the tank had been pulled out of the ground Wednesday and has seven holes. “The tank’s been removed from the site,” he said, adding that he retained evidence from the tank to help determine what caused the breach. The leaks followed an oil delivery Jan. 5 in which the tank was overfilled, he said. The tank, which had about 4,000 gallons in it when another 5,860 gallons were delivered Jan. 5, was empty when school staff arrived at the building Jan. 8, after the weekend. According to Mr. Pandiscio, although it is a 10,200-gallon tank, its capacity is less than that because tanks are not built to be filled to the top. He has said there was a spill of a couple of gallons Jan. 5 when the tank was overfilled, and Clean Harbors Environmental Cleaners cleaned up the spill the same day. Clean Harbors returned to the site Jan. 8 along with town employees and others after the tank was found to be empty. A representative of the company that delivered the oil Jan. 5, Dennis K. Burke Inc. of Chelsea, also was at the site Jan. 8 through Jan. 10, said Mr. Pandiscio. Mr. Pandiscio said there was no sign of the oil until the tank was removed Wednesday. “They found contaminated soil. It wasn’t soaking,” he said yesterday. Mr. Pandiscio said yesterday he could see the difference in the appearance of the soil beneath the tank from which the oil leaked, but that there was still no odor. Preschool children attend the school district’s Early Childhood Center in the building. “We’ve contracted with an industrial hygienist to test air samples and the like to make sure the air quality is safe for children,” he said yesterday, adding that so far, no air quality problem had been detected. The cleanup will take weeks, and soil monitoring will be ongoing afterward, said Mr. Pandiscio. So far, he said yesterday, there is no sign the oil is moving toward Eagle Lake. In fact, Clean Harbors has reported slight oil migration toward Main Street, away from the lake. The tank had been inspected in June 2005 and was found to be sound, he said. He said inspections are required every five years. He was told the tank was inspected in May 2006, but that information was incorrect.

283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 5 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

What caused the breach and whether it had anything to do with the force of filling the tank Friday is yet to be determined, said Mr. Pandiscio. Contaminated soil is being removed and test holes are being bored to determine the perimeters of contamination and monitor migration, he said. Clean soil removed from the tank area will be put back, and additional fill will be used from ongoing construction at nearby Wachusett Regional High School, said Mr. Pandiscio. About the cause and cost of the incident, Mr. Pandiscio said, “We’re talking a lot about money now. I would think this would take a long time to sort out environmentally and it would take a long time to sort out financially.” http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS/701120686/1101

USA, WA, COLUMBIA, OIL SPILL CAUSED BY TUMBLEWEEDS Annette Cary Hanford's terrible tumbleweeds are at it again. The weeds already are notorious because of past Herald stories about how Department of Energy Contractors rounded up radioactive tumbleweeds. The deep-rooted Russian thistles sucked up contaminated ground water, then went rolling off to spread the contamination across the landscape. Of more than 1,100 documented findings of contaminated vegetation at Hanford in the past half-century, about 80 percent were tumbleweeds. Now those wandering weeds are being blamed for new dastardly deeds -- a spill of 400 gallons of used oil. Contractor Fluor Hanford says tumbleweeds were blown with enough force on Dec. 15 to open the valve on a holding tank storing the oil. Gusts of up to 74 mph were recorded that day by the Hanford Meteorology Station. Fluor spokesman Geoff Tyree said the tumbleweeds built up beneath the tank and got wrapped around the tank's ball valve handle. The wind was strong enough to blow the weeds wrapped around the handle back and forth, he said. There was no indication the valve had not been closed properly, Tyree said. It's since been capped to prevent the problem from reoccurring. All 400 gallons of oil spilled from the tank, which was in a vehicle maintenance yard in the 200 East Area of central Hanford. The spill was reported to regulators and workers used absorbing pads to help contain it. The oil was not radioactively contaminated. The oil-contaminated sandy surface beneath the tank has been dug up and 30 cubic yards piled on heavy- duty tarps. Fluor and the Department of Energy still are deciding what to do with the contaminated soil. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/8555746p-8449313c.html

USA, ND, FARGO JANUARY 14 2007. WATERLINE BREAK AT FARGO GUARD BASE CAUSES FUEL SPILL A waterline break at the North Dakota Air National Guard base here led to a jet fuel spill. No one was hurt, and the mess outdoors was cleaned up within a matter of hours, said 1st Lt. Penny Ripperger. "We were a little nervous for a while," she said. "We didn't know what was going on. It was great training for us." Col. Robert Becklund, commander of the 119th Fighter Wing, said the waterline broke in the fuel pump house shortly after 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The break caused water to leak into a fuel holding tank, creating an overflow of water and some jet fuel. Engineers built dikes on and off the base to contain the spill. "It just went in the ditches a little bit to the west of the base," Ripperger said. The pump house and a nearby convenience store on base were evacuated for a couple of hours as a precaution, she said. "It was a wise thing to do at the time, to be conservative about the spill," Becklund said. It was not immediately determined how much fuel was in the water that spilled. Becklund said it will be less than 500 gallons, which was the amount the tank held. Jet-Way Inc. of Harwood was brought in to clean up the spilled fuel. Ripperger said the water froze and the fuel stayed liquid, making the cleanup easier. Some cleanup work remained inside the pump house, but "I'm sure we'll probably be done by the end of the weekend," Ripperger said. http://www.in-forum.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8MKL78G0&forumcomm_check_return

283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 6 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

USA, NC, MOORESVILLE JANUARY 15 2007. LAKE NORMAN HAS 2ND OIL SPILL IN 10 DAYS -OFFICIALS SEEK CAUSE OF SLICK, DISAGREE ON WHO SHOULD DO THE CLEANUP – SUBSTANCE COVERS ABOUT 5 ACRES Kirsten Valle Sam "Rawhide" Newman was fishing for striped bass late Friday afternoon in a cove on Lake Norman when he noticed the slick: three acres of oil, 1 to 2 inches thick, on the water. "It's a hell of a problem," said Newman, 69, a longtime fisherman who's lived on Lake Norman for 25 years. "Oil and water and fish don't go together." By Saturday morning, the petroleum-based slick, concentrated near Castles Gate Drive, had grown to about 5 acres, county officials said. They still aren't sure what caused it or what effect it will have on fish and wildlife. The spill is the second at Lake Norman in 10 days; a transformer used for hydroelectric power generation ruptured Jan. 3 at the southern end of the lake, dumping about 300 gallons of mineral oil into the water. The latest spill likely occurred several days ago, spreading downstream with the wind and currents, said Paul Webster, Iredell County's deputy emergency management coordinator. It's unclear who's responsible for cleanup. Local authorities sometimes tackle smaller spills, which can happen when boats sink, Webster said. "We haven't had anything of this magnitude for quite a while," he said. "This is bigger than we can handle. We don't have the capability to clean this mess up." Webster said Duke Energy, which owns the lake, would handle cleanup. But Duke spokeswoman Mary Kathryn Green said the company does not own the water and that the cleanup would therefore fall to state environmental officials. Authorities at the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Mooresville office could not be reached for comment Saturday. Local officials aren't sure what effect the oil slick will have on the lake, though Webster said there were "no obvious effects" early Saturday afternoon. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission was monitoring the area Saturday and plans to stay nearby to see how many fish are killed and handle other issues that might arise, he said. Webster said the spill isn't likely to damage the boats and docks nearby. "I'm sure they'll take them up out of the water and there will be an oil ring around them," he said. "But other than that, it's just the normal damage of having to clean it up." Authorities will continue to investigate the incident, Webster said. Whoever caused the spill could face fines. http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/16457783.htm

USA, CA, FOLSOM JANUARY 17 2007. EPA SETTLES OIL SPILL PREVENTION LAW VIOLATIONS WITH FOUR LOBSTERING FACILITIES Four lobstering facilities in Spruce Head, Maine have reached a settlement with EPA resolving violations of the federal Clean Water Act. Specifically, EPA alleged that the facilities did not have proper plans to prevent oil spills as required by the Oil Pollution Prevention Regulations and fined each facility $3,000. The facilities subject to EPA's actions are Maine Coast Seafood, McLoon's Wharf, LLC, Spruce Head Fisherman's Co-op and William Atwood Lobster Co. EPA's New England Office's has recently been increasing the number of enforcement actions against facilities out of compliance with the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations though an expedited settlement program. The expedited settlement program is designed to resolve easily correctable violations of the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations detected during an EPA inspection. If a facility chooses not to enter into an expedited settlement agreement with EPA, the Agency may pursue a more traditional enforcement action, likely resulting in higher penalties. "All facilities, whether big or small, need to abide by the law requiring plans to prevent oil spills," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "We do, however, appreciate efforts by facilities to quickly correct violations, and in these cases we are willing to resolve our enforcement action in an

283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 7 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

expedited manner." Facilities which can store greater than 1,320 gallons of oil in aboveground tanks or 42,000 gallons below ground, are required to have Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure plans, also known as an SPCC plans, if it could reasonably be expected that a discharge of oil from the facility would reach a water of the United States or its adjoining shoreline considering a possible worst case scenario. The purpose of the SPCC program is to prevent spills before they happen, thus the need for a properly prepared and implemented plan is crucial to the success of the program. Although all of the Spruce Head lobstering facilities store oil in amounts above the thresholds requiring the preparation and implementation of an SPCC plan, EPA inspections revealed that they did not have adequate plans. Because of the relatively small quantity of oil stored at the facilities, and the fact that the facilities had some secondary containment for their oil storage, which is a major requirement under the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations, EPA decided to use expedited agreements to resolve the violations. The expedited settlement process for violations of the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations has been used successfully in other EPA regions. Source: U.S. EPA http://newsblaze.com/story/20070116162833tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html

USA, NY, WHITE PLAINS JANUARY 25 2007. WHITE PLAINS GASOLINE SPILL JAMS TRAFFIC, POLLUTES RIVER Richard Liebson A gasoline spill at a downtown service station sent fuel spewing onto the rooftops of nearby buildings, slowed morning rush-hour traffic to a crawl and dumped untold gallons through the sewer system into the Bronx River as far south as Eastchester. No injuries were reported. "At this point, it's more of an environmental problem than a public safety issue,'' Daniel Jackson, deputy White Plains public safety commissioner, said of the spill, which occurred shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday at a Citgo station at South Lexington and Fisher avenues. "Our immediate concern was that it would ignite and start fires up and down the block.'' Fire Chief Richard Lyman said five fire companies - about 25 firefighters - went to the spill within minutes and quickly spread foam on the rooftops, sidewalk and street to contain the gasoline and vapors. Bags filled with kitty litter, which soaks up liquid and prevents fumes from spreading, were used to dam nearby storm sewer openings, but not before some gasoline had made its way into the storm-water lines, catch basins and, eventually, the river. Emergency workers spent much of the day setting up booms along the river to contain the fuel as much as possible. The spill occurred during a gasoline delivery by All Aboard Transport of Monroe, police said. At some point, gasoline began spewing from the vent pipes attached to the underground tanks. The vent pipes rise about 25 feet along the side of the Efficiency Printing Co. The gasoline then splashed onto the building's roof. "We came out, and there was gas squirting all over the place,'' said Paul Franzese, owner of the printing company. "The gas was just pouring out of the truck and shooting out of the vents onto our roof.'' Franzese said the roof was covered in several inches of gasoline when firefighters arrived. It was unclear whether the spill was caused by the truck driver or the gas station. Jackson said it appeared to have been human error but said the exact cause is still under investigation. The truck driver and service station employees were being questioned by police and environmental investigators from the Westchester County District Attorney's Office in an effort to find out what happened. Jackson said that no charges have been filed and that the driver and Citgo employees were cooperating with authorities. Power and gas services to the printing company, gas station and nearby Swift Electric Contracting Co. were shut down as a precaution, and the businesses were kept closed. Two nearby churches, Trinity United Methodist on South Lexington Avenue and the Allen AME Church on Fisher Avenue, were ventilated to get rid of the fumes, which could be smelled a half-mile away. "It was terrible,'' Agnes Frontieri said. She was parking at the Fisher Avenue post office about 7:30 a.m., she said, when she smelled the gasoline. "I really thought I was going to throw up, it was so bad. I just got out of the area as fast as I could.'' Frontieri returned to the post office, which is about a block from the Citgo station, in the afternoon to 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 8 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

check her mail. Lyman said firefighters were checking buildings throughout the area to make sure they were safe and free of fumes. The spill caused major traffic problems after police closed several streets in the surrounding area until midafternoon. A block of Fisher Avenue remained closed late in the afternoon, but it reopened yesterday evening. Hazardous materials teams from White Plains, the Westchester County Emergency Services and the county Health Department were involved in the containment effort. A private contractor was brought in to remove the spilled gasoline at the service station. Workers in orange hazardous-materials suits could be seen on the roof of the station and printing company, sweeping and vacuuming gasoline and foam into a specially designed containment truck. "It's going to be an extensive cleanup,'' Jackson said. He could not say how long it would take. Mary Landrigan, a spokeswoman for the county Health Department, said gasoline was seen in the Bronx River as far south as the Scarsdale-Eastchester border. Booms were being placed to prevent it from spreading farther, she said. It was unclear late yesterday when the gas station and other businesses would be able to re-open. The service station is popular among motorists because it usually charges less than others in the area. A sign out front yesterday posted regular gas at $2.359 per gallon. http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/NEWS02/701250380/1018/NEWS02

283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 9