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BP Products to Pay Penalty to Settle Environmental Violations at Texas City Refinery

Release Date: 03/09/2009
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Anthony Suttice at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

(Dallas, Texas - March 9, 2009) BP Products North America Inc. has agreed to pay $785,662 to resolve Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) violations at its Texas City, Texas, refinery, the Environmental Protection Agency announced today. The company will pay a $420,662 civil penalty and spend $365,000 on supplemental environmental projects in Texas City.

The law requires that certain facilities that manufacture, process or use certain toxic chemicals report releases annually by July 1, for the preceding calendar year. This settlement addresses the company’s noncompliance with EPCRA reporting requirements by failing to complete and submit toxic chemical release inventory information to EPA and the State of Texas for the period 2002-2005, and failure to maintain reporting records for calendar year 2004. The toxic chemicals subject to reporting requirements included anthracene, cobalt compounds, dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, formaldehyde, lead compounds, methanol, nickel compounds, phenanthrene, and vanadium.

The $365,000 in supplemental environmental projects are intended to improve Texas City’s ability to respond to emergency releases that threaten human health or the environment and include an ambulance, upgrade of the city’s computer system, communications equipment and an Optigon system to assist with traffic control during emergencies. Also included in the projects are funds to improve the city’s Emergency Operations Center and upgrade the city’s mobile command post.

More about activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/region6

EPA audio file is available for 30 days at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/audio.htm#audio030909_bpproducts