News Releases from Region 04
U.S. EPA requires onshore oil production company to protect Alabama and Mississippi’s waterways from oil discharges
ATLANTA (April 29, 2019) – On April 25, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached a settlement agreement with Denbury Onshore, LLC to resolve Clean Water Act (CWA) and Oil Pollution Act (OPA) violations in Alabama and Mississippi. The State of Mississippi is a co-plaintiff under the consent decree in which Denbury has agreed to implement an extensive injunctive relief package, including a risk-based program designed to prevent future oil spills, and pay a civil penalty of $3.5 million.
“Protecting Alabama and Mississippi’s waters from oil pollution is crucial,” said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. “This enforcement action will help safeguard water resources and valuable wetlands from possible spills."
Denbury is the owner and operator of onshore oil production facilities located in the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States. Denbury’s facilities in Region 4 are in Alabama and Mississippi. The company’s business model involves acquiring older oil fields and extending the life of the fields using advanced engineering extraction techniques.
EPA is pursuing penalties for 26 CWA discharges that occurred between August 8, 2008 and November 11, 2015 and resulted in approximately 7,000 barrels of oil and produced water discharged to the environment. The 26 violations took place at ten different Denbury facilities in Region 4—one facility in Alabama and nine facilities in Mississippi. Most of the discharges were the result of internal corrosion of pipes and flow lines, breaks in old lines, and failed equipment.
EPA's proposed settlement with Denbury, which is subject to a 30-day comment period, can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html
The goal of EPA’s oil pollution prevention regulations is to keep oil spills from polluting the nation’s waterways and nearby environments.
For more information on the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure and the Facility Response Plan rules, please visit: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/oil-spills-prevention-and-preparedness-regulations
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