EPA Takes
Action against Buffalo Area Gas Stations to
Protect
Ground Water from Petroleum Contamination
(New York, N.Y. – August 14, 2012) The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has issued a legal complaint to the owners and
operators of twenty-two underground storage tanks at gasoline stations in the
Buffalo, New York area for violating various federal regulations dealing with
ground water from petroleum contamination. The complaint, which seeks $582,803
in penalties, was issued to Amerimart Development Company, Inc., Qual-Econ Lease
Co., Inc., Commercial Realty Fund II, MJG Enterprises Inc., and Clear
Alternative of Western NY, Inc. (d.b.a. G & G Petroleum). These companies
are either past or present owners or operators of gas stations in Buffalo,
Amherst, and Tonawanda, N.Y. In addition to paying penalties, the complaint
requires the facilities to all come into full compliance with the
regulations.
“Gas
station owners need to be vigilant in making sure that their petroleum storage
tanks do not cause pollution,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck.
“When underground tanks are not properly maintained, ground water can be
contaminated, putting people and the environment at risk.”
Ground water is the source of drinking water for
nearly half of all Americans. When petroleum or other hazardous substances leak
from underground tanks, such leaks are difficult and expensive to clean,
particularly if they involve a public source of drinking water.
The
complaint alleges that one or more of the companies failed to:
Test the
protection systems for two tanks and two fuel lines
Meet
corrosion protection or other new standards for two tanks and seven fuel
lines
Conduct
release detection every thirty days on eleven tanks:
Perform
annual tests of automatic line leak detector systems for nineteen underground
storage tanks
Provide
adequate equipment to protect against tank overfills for thirteen underground
storage tanks
Conduct an
annual line tightness test or conduct monthly monitoring of underground
pressurized piping for seventeen fuel lines
Properly
cap off two temporarily closed underground storage tanks
Keep
adequate records of release detection monitoring for three facilities
Respond to
a request for information for one facility
The law
authorizes EPA to seek between $11,000 and $16,000 per tank for each day a
violation exists.
For more information on proper maintenance of
Underground Storage Tanks, visit:
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at twitter.com/eparegion2 and
visit our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
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