Posted August 20, 2014
Cargill has agreed to pay $187,500 settlement to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to an article on The Des Moines Register by Donnelle Eller available here. The Daily Iowegian also published an article available hereand Agri-Pulse here.
The EPA alleged that Cargill failed to have large-scale spill response plans at oil storage facilities in Blair, Neb., and Eddyville, Ia, and that they were in violation of the Clean Water Act.
The Clean Water Act requires facilities that store large quantities of oil to develop a Facility Response Plan that outlines procedures for “worst-case” scenarios. Facilities are able to prevent environmental harm from such scenarios by being prepared and by conducting response drills, according to The Daily Iowegian.
“The Clean Water Act requires large oil storage facilities to have adequate response plans to prevent a spill from turning into a large scale environmental disaster,” said Karl Brooks, EPA Region 7 administrator. “The lack of a Facility Response Plan for these facilities can have serious consequences for humans and the environment in the case of a spill. This settlement helps protect the communities of Blair, Neb., and Eddyville, Iowa, if spills were to occur,” according to Agri-Pulse.
Each of Cargill’s two facilities produces and stores more than 1 million gallons of oil. The two facilities have a total estimated storage capacity of more than 7 million gallons combined.
For more information on the Clean Water Act, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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