Gas Station Owner Fined
SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined Cain Petroleum of Forest Grove $1.43 million for failing to investigate and clean fuel releases from underground storage tank systems at nine gas stations the company operated in Oregon.
The penalty is the largest issued by the state DEQ, the Associated Press reported.
Some of the petroleum releases were reported to DEQ as early as 1989. Officials from DEQ's Office of Compliance and Enforcement said that Cain Petroleum did not investigate or initiate cleanup of the releases as the Department had requested.
Although the extent of the contamination varies at the nine properties located in Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro and Tigard, gasoline and diesel fuel have seeped into soil and groundwater at the sites, creating public health hazards.
The penalty is the largest issued by the state DEQ, the Associated Press reported.
Some of the petroleum releases were reported to DEQ as early as 1989. Officials from DEQ's Office of Compliance and Enforcement said that Cain Petroleum did not investigate or initiate cleanup of the releases as the Department had requested.
Although the extent of the contamination varies at the nine properties located in Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro and Tigard, gasoline and diesel fuel have seeped into soil and groundwater at the sites, creating public health hazards.