Two truck stops in Iowa and Missouri are paying $390,784 in fines for allegedly violating the federal Clean Water Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency says Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott and Joplin 44 in Missouri did not develop and implement Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) plans to address petroleum discharges into waterways.
In a news release, EPA Region 7 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Director David Cozad says, "This settlement represents the federal government’s commitment to protecting our nation’s waterways and creating a level playing field for businesses who are complying with the law."
The news release states facilities that store 1,320 gallons or more of oil products in aboveground storage tanks are subject to SPCC regulations. These plans require, among other things, proper containment to control petroleum releases, inspections of tanks and piping, and integrity testing of petroleum storage equipment.
The agency discovered the violations during an inspection in 2023. Since then, Iowa 80 Group Inc., which owns both facilities, has developed plans and made necessary repairs.
In an email statement sent Tuesday, Jan. 7th, Iowa 80 Group Vice President of Operations and Marketing Heather DeBaillie says the EPA findings did not include any spills or leaks but a paperwork error.
"We did have an SPCC plan. We had hired a local engineering firm to write these plans for many years. When the EPA inspected the report, they pointed out that the SPCC was missing information and that firm’s staff had not signed it. It has to be signed by a licensed engineer. Upon learning this, we hired a new firm to write the SPCC and now have a suitable document that has been approved by the EPA," DeBaillie said.
The settlements Iowa 80 and Joplin 44 are detailed on the EPA's website's Consent Agreements and Final Orders. Public comments are open until Friday, Jan. 10th.
This story was updated Tuesday, Jan. 7th, to include statements from Iowa 80 Group Vice President of Operations and Marketing Heather DeBaillie.
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