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Par Mar Oil Co. Settles Underground Storage Tank Violations at two Huntington, W.Va. Facilities

Release Date: 12/18/2013
Contact Information: Donna Heron 215-814-5113 / heron. donna@epa.gov

PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 18, 2013) -- Par Mar Oil Co. has agreed to pay a $30,855 penalty to settle alleged violations of underground storage tank (UST) regulations at two facilities in Huntington, W.Va., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

EPA cited the company for not complying with safeguards designed to prevent, detect, and control leaks of petroleum and other hazardous substances from USTs. Specifically, EPA alleged that the company did not comply with cathodic protection requirements, which are designed to prevent corrosion of steel UST systems. Federal and state regulations require cathodic protection testing every three years, and that cathodic protection be continuously maintained.

The alleged violations were at two facilities in Huntington (Par Mar # 36, on 2207 8^th Ave.; and Par Mar #37, at 3217 Washington Blvd.) which have a total of nine USTs used to store gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene. The company allegedly failed to perform required cathodic protection testing at these facilities for four to five years, failed to timely repair cathodic protection for a tank at one facility for a year and did not repair it for flexible piping at the other facility for about three months. EPA cited the company after an inspection and a subsequent request for information.

With millions of gallons of petroleum products and hazardous substances stored in USTs throughout the U.S., leaking tanks are a major source of soil and groundwater contamination. EPA and state UST regulations are designed to reduce the risk of underground leaks and to promptly detect and properly address leaks thus minimizing environmental harm and avoiding the costs of major cleanups.

As part of the settlement, the company did not admit liability for the alleged violation. The settlement penalty reflects the company’s cooperation with EPA in correcting the alleged non-compliance and resolving this matter.

For more information about cathode protection: go to https://www.epa.gov/oust/ustsystm/cathodic.htm

For more information on underground storage tanks, go to: https://www.epa.gov/oust/index.htm