EPA settles with Red Mtn Truck Lines for Butte MT Fuel Spillage
Released December 19th, 2022 - Edited for Clarity by Josh Rath
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a Clean Water Act (CWA) settlement with Red Mountain Truck Lines, Inc., in which Red Mountain agreed to pay $18,000 for alleged Clean Water Act violations after a gas station transfer incident that spilled diesel fuel into Blacktail Creek in Butte in 2021.
“EPA takes our role of protecting public health and our environmental resources very seriously in all the communities we serve,” said EPA Region 8 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Director Suzanne Bohan. “Companies that handle, store and transport oil must carefully follow safety measures to prevent oil spills from occurring, and Red Mountain failed to take the necessary care.”
On January 30, 2021, a fuel delivery involving a truck owned by Red Mountain released approximately 450 to 485 gallons of diesel fuel into Blacktail Creek. The spill occurred as a result of an overfill of an underground storage tank at a Town Pump in Butte. The diesel fuel traveled down a storm drain into wetlands adjacent to the creek and into the creek itself.
Red Mountain’s environmental consultant reported the spill to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality on January 30th, and to the National Response Center on February 3rd. Red Mountain worked with the MDEQ Underground Storage Tank Division to contain and clean up the spill. There were no reported impacts on drinking water or downstream users.
Read the Consent Agreement and Final Order.
Learn more about the Clean Water Act’s regulations concerning oil spills and spill prevention.
For the full release, click here.