Worcester Mass. Company Faces Penalty for Environmental Violations

A general warehousing and storage facility located in Worcester, Mass. faces a penalty of up to $157,500 for Clean Water Act (CWA) violations and up to $32,500 per day for Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) violations.

According to EPA, TI Logistics, Inc. and a closely related warehousing and storage company illegally discharged styrene into waters of the United States due to a trailer roll-over, failed to prepare and implement a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan in violation of Oil Pollution Prevention regulations, and failed to file a hazardous chemical inventory form to the proper authorities in violation of EPCRA.

On Sept. 5, 2006, a trailer owned by the company rolled over on Interstate-95 in New Haven, Conn., discharging between 4,000 and 5,400 gallons of hazardous chemical styrene. An unknown quantity of the styrene that was released from the trailer, estimated at about 200-500 gallons, flowed into storm water drains and traveled into New Haven Harbor.

Federal, state, and local authorities, including the New Haven Fire Department, Connecticut Dept. of the Environmental Protection (CT DEP), U.S. Coast Guard and EPA responded to the accident. Sheens of styrene were observed near a storm water outflow in New Haven Harbor in an area inhabited by fish and other wildlife. A contractor initially hired by CT DEP performed cleanup operations at the spill site, including excavation of contaminated surface soils, containment booming and product recovery at the impacted storm water outflow in New Haven Harbor.

Following an investigation of the truck rollover, the Conn. Dept. of Motor Vehicles cited the truck driver with violations for failing to drive in the proper lane and driving with inadequate brakes.