Delaware Company to Pay $40,000 Penalty for Inadequate Oil Spill Prevention at Lewes and Sussex Facilities

PHILADELPHIA (December 6, 2010) - In a settlement with the E.P.A., Service Energy LLC, headquartered in Dover, Delaware, has agreed to pay a $40,000 penalty for alleged violations of oil spill prevention regulations at 2 oil storage facilities located at 33852 Clay Road in Lewes, and 20141 Cedar Beach Road in Sussex.

Under the Clean Water Act, all owners of oil storage facilities must develop and implement a spill prevention, control and countermeasure (SPCC) project to minimize the risk of release of oil and hazardous substances to the environment.

In 2008, E.P.A. inspectors found that the company's oil storage and distribution facilities in Lewes and Sussex did not have adequate secondary containment around their bulk storage tanks, or around their loading/unloading racks, which is a violation of the Clean Water Act.

Service Energy corrected these violations by completing construction of adequate secondary containment around these structures in the fall of 2009.

The settlement penalty takes into account the company's ability to pay and cooperation with E.P.A. in resolving the alleged violations and complying with applicable SPCC regulations.

For more information about EPA's SPCC rule, visit www.epa.gov/osweroe1/content/spcc/index.htm.

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