Federal environmental regulators announced a settlement Tuesday with a petroleum company to resolve violated federal regulations at its storage facility on Terminal Island.

The General Petroleum Corp. will pay a $15,500 penalty as part of the agreement, and has already come into compliance with the law, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Spill prevention is a key planning element for oil storage facilities, especially those located near California’s precious waterways,” said Kathleen Johnson, director of the enforcement division in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “To reduce the risk to San Pedro Bay, we have been working with our state and local partners to ensure the deficiencies were all addressed.”

Tuesday’s action is a result of a joint inspection conducted by EPA and representatives of the Los Angeles Fire Department in April 2015.

The investigation found that General Petroleum had violated federal regulations requiring onshore oil production facilities at risk of discharging oil to nearby waterways to prepare and implement a spill prevention and control plan, according to the EPA.

“This enforcement action, taken in partnership with the U.S. EPA, was needed to not only protect the city’s environment but to also protect the health and safety of the city’s residents,” said LAFD Deputy Chief John Vidovich, who until recently oversaw the program responsible for inspecting and enforcing environmental compliance at this type of facility.

General Petroleum is located within the Port of Los Angeles adjacent to the Los Angeles Harbor.

The company failed to provide adequate secondary containment around tanks to keep spilled oil from leaving the site and entering surrounding waters, according to the EPA.

General Petroleum also failed to amend and re-certify its spill plan after making significant physical changes to its facility, regulators said.

–City News Service 

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