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Department of Ecology News Release - November 25, 2008
08-312
Ecology works with thousands of business and individuals to ensure compliance with laws written to protect Washington’s air, land and water resources. Penalties are issued in cases where non-compliance continues after Ecology has provided technical assistance or warnings, or for particularly serious violations.
The money owed from penalties may be reduced from the issued amount due to a ruling by the Environmental Hearings Board or a negotiated settlement. The final penalty amount owed and collected is deposited in special accounts that pay for:
The most common accounts receiving collected penalties are:
For more detail about Ecology’s enforcement policy and actions, please see the 2007 Enforcement Report at www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0801015.pdf
| County of Violation | City of Violation | Date Issued | Penalty Recipient | Description of Violation | Amount | Media Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | Othello | 8/4/08 | Pik a Pop 12 | The company failed to comply with release detection requirements for regulated underground storage tanks (USTs). It also failed to comply with corrosion protection requirements for regulated USTs. | $1,600 |
Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 or Cathy Cochrane, 509-329-3433 |
| Clark | Vancouver | 8/27/08 | Jason Powell | The operator was unable to produce the required documentation, his permit had expired, leak detection was not being performed properly and the corrosion protection requirements had not been adequately met. | $1,700 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Cowlitz | Kalama | 9/4/08 | SDS Lumber | The company’s 55-foot tug, the White Salmon, sank in Oct. 2007, while docked at Kalama, releasing 198 gallons of oil and diesel into the Columbia River. See Ecology news release. | $12,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Cowlitz | Longview | 7/14/08 | Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging | The total reduced sulfur emissions from a recovery furnace exceeded the permit limit on Feb. 5, 2008. | $2,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Cowlitz | Longview | 9/22/08 | Weyerhaeuser Company, Longview | Improper operation of the mill’s steam stripper on June 3, 2008, resulted in community complaints about excessive odor from the mill. | $4,000 | Kim Schmanke,
360-407-6239 |
| Grant | 7/17/08 | Andrew J. Smith | The individual allowed illegal outdoor burning and burning of prohibited materials to take place on his property. | $3,500 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 or Cathy Cochrane, 509-329-3433 |
Grant | Moses Lake | 8/13/08 | Jason Roberts | The individual developed shoreline in violation of his permit. | $5,000 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 or Cathy Cochrane, 509-329-3433 |
Grant | Soap Lake | 8/20/08 | Leon Franks | The individual allowed illegal outdoor burning and burning of prohibited materials to take place on his property. | $2,500 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 or Cathy Cochrane, 509-329-3433 |
| Grant | Soap Lake | 9/17/08 | HICO Exxon | The company failed to comply with release detection requirements for regulated underground storage tanks (USTs). It also failed to comply with corrosion protection requirements for regulated USTs. | $1,200 | Cathy Cochrane, 509-329-3433 or Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 |
| Grays Harbor | Highway 8 at milepost 10 | 7/30/08 | Pettit Oil Company | A Pettit Oil truck tanker crashed near the Grays Harbor-Thurston County line in June 2007, causing gasoline and diesel to spill. As a result, part of the median caught fire, and burning fuel passed through a culvert, igniting the peat bog and wetland. Some of the fuel escaped the wetland into Mox-Chehalis Creek. See Ecology news release. | $7,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| King | Seattle | 7/8/08 | King County Wastewater Treatment Division | An improper cross-connection of a King County sewer main line to a Seattle stormwater line resulted in a sewage discharge of approx. 6.4 million gallons to Ravenna Creek from May 13 to 23, 2008. See Ecology news release. | $30,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Mason | Belfair | 7/2/08 | Sandy’s Deli Mart & Gas | The owner failed to conduct tank release detection and inspect the corrosion protection system every 60 days as required. | $1,600 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Snohomish | Woodinville | 9/10/08 | First Romanian Pentecostal Church | Cleared and filled approx. 1.72 acres of wetland and 900 feet of stream bank on church property on Sep. 13 and Dec. 24, 2006 and without prior authorization. See Ecology news release. | $48,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Stevens | Kettle Falls | 9/10/08 | Boise Building Solutions (Boise Plywood) | Emissions exceeded the limits set in the company’s air operating permit. A notice of violation was issued on June 12, 2008. See Ecology news release. | $15,126 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 or Cathy Cochrane, 509-329-3433 |
| Thurston | Olympia | 8/5/08 | National Fish and Oyster Co Inc | Failed to submit stormwater discharge monitoring reports and ignored an Ecology administrative order to meet this permit requirement. | $4,770 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Walla Walla | Burbank | 8/19/08 | GenX Energy Group Inc | Company violated conditions of its air quality permit. | $3,000 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 or Cathy Cochrane, 509-329-3433 |
| Yakima | Wapato | 9/28/08 | Snokist Growers Sawyer | Company failed to properly respond to an ammonia leak from its refrigeration system. The ammonia release sickened at least one resident and resulted in an evacuation of the nearby area. See Ecology news release. | $10,000 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-575-2610
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Contact: See the Ecology media relations contact listed above for each item.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
