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 here
and 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.
