DALLAS, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The spill of about 2,200 barrels of oil into a Texas wetland area in 2010 will coast Superior Crude Gathering Inc. more than $1 million, the EPA said.
The Environmental Protection Agency said Superior Crude agreed to pay $1.6 million in civil penalties for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act stemming from the spill from a storage facility into wetlands near the Intracoastal Waterway and Redfish Bay.
"Operators have a responsibility to prevent oil spills and protect the public and the environment through vigilance and preparation," Acting Assistant Attorney General Sam Hirsch for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division said in a statement. "This settlement underscores the consequences of failing to meet that responsibility."
The charges from the civil penalty are in addition to the amount spent by Superior Crude to respond to the incident. The EPA said Wednesday the company halted operations at its oil storage facility, located near a former refinery in Ingleside, Texas.
There was no public statement from the company.
