| Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that the United
States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) will allow local gas stations
to stay open while being brought into full compliance as quickly as possible.
“On April 18, 2001, our local gas station owners requested a meeting
with me to discuss the federal USEPA underground fuel tank compliance issue
now facing our Territory. At the meeting, held on island, the owners
informed me that they had been cited for federal EPA violations in January
2001 and were given until May 25, 2001 to correct the violations or face
closure,” Congressman Faleomavaega said. “Our local gas station owners
requested my immediate assistance in resolving this most serious matter.”
“Since the April 18th meeting, I have been engaged in numerous discussions
with the USEPA and Region 9 regarding efforts to find a fair and reasonable
solution that will allow the Territory’s gas stations to stay open while
bringing them into compliance as quickly as possible. These discussions
have been difficult because all facilities with underground storage tanks
should have been in compliance by December of 1998.”
“At any point from January 1999 to present, the USEPA could have
taken formal enforcement action against these local facilities,” Congressman
Faleomavaega said. “Gas station owners could have faced penalties
as high as $11,000 per day, per tank, per violation. Fuel distributors,
including British Petroleum and Mobil, could have been prohibited from
dispensing fuel to non-complying facilities. However, these actions
were not taken and our local facilities were given until May 25, 2001 to
come into federal compliance.”
“In my discussions with the gas station owners, I stressed the importance
of complying with federal law,” Congressman Faleomavaega said. “I
also noted that Environmental Protection Agency regulations are in place
to protect our health and environment. Releases from underground
storage tanks can cause fires and explosions that threaten human safety.
Releases can also contaminate our soil and the groundwater that we depend
on for the water we drink. Our island community cannot afford to
take these regulations lightly. Neither can we come to expect the
USEPA or Region 9 to issue lenient citations and/or extend deadlines for
matters that should have been resolved in 1998.”
“I commend our local gas station owners for bringing this matter
to my attention,” Congressman Faleomavaega said. “I also applaud
their efforts and commitment to come into compliance as quickly as possible.
Each gas station owner submitted a detailed plan of action to my Washington
office which clearly described what each station intends to do on a month-to-month
basis to come into compliance. I forwarded this information to USEPA
Region 9 on May 15, 2001 and these plans were useful to USEPA in developing
a reasonable course of action.”
“I am pleased to inform our local gas station owners and the public
that the USEPA Region 9 has developed a strategy that will keep our stations
open and give our owners up to 12 additional months to comply. On
or shortly following May 25th, each gas station owner will be given an
opportunity to sign an agreement for coming into compliance which will
include a reasonable fine for initial failure to comply. Additional
fines may also be issued at the 6-month benchmark based on outstanding
deficiencies at that time. Stations not in full compliance at the
end of the 12-month deadline will be required to close and the USEPA may
impose additional penalties,” Congressman Faleomavaega said.
“I want to thank USEPA Region 9 for working to resolve this matter
in a fair and expeditious way. I also want to thank the Governor
for his efforts to support our local gas station owners,” Congressman Faleomavaega
said. “This situation could have had severe economic and social consequences
for our Territory. Now that it is tentatively resolved, I am hopeful
that we can return our focus to the important environmental and economic
issues at hand.” |
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