The Clean Water Act requires facilities that store large quantities of oil to develop a Facility Response Plan (FRP) to address "worst-case" discharges of oil. The EPA claims Cargill lacked FRPs at its storage facilities in Blair, Neb. and Eddyville, Iowa. Combined, the two facilities have a storage capacity exceeding 7 million gallons of oil, according to EPA. The agency discovered the problem during site visits conducted in 2013.
“The Clean Water Act requires large oil storage facilities to have adequate response plans to prevent a spill from turning into a large scale environmental disaster,” said Karl Brooks, EPA Region 7 administrator. “The lack of a Facility Response Plan for these facilities can have serious consequences for humans and the environment in the case of a spill. This settlement helps protect the communities of Blair, Neb., and Eddyville, Iowa, if spills were to occur.”
Cargill submitted to EPA signed and effective FRPs in June. The settlement resolves the FRP violations.
