DOVER – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced today that it has reached two separate settlement agreements with the Delaware City Refining Company, LLC (DCRC) over environmental violations by the company’s refinery in Delaware City. The two settlement agreements – totaling $218,000 – are the culmination of a series of violations for the refinery.
“The Department is working to address all outstanding issues at the refinery,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Moving forward, DNREC recognizes the importance of the Delaware City Refining Company taking steps to minimize future violations.”
On March 9, 2017, DNREC issued to DCRC a Notice of Administrative Penalty Assessment and Secretary’s Order, alleging that DCRC violated a 2013 order by shipping crude oil from the its Delaware City terminal to locations other than the Paulsboro, N.J., refinery owned by its corporate parent, PBF Energy. DNREC found that 17 shipments were made to other facilities in 2014, contrary to DCRC representations made in support of an air pollution control permit application from the company in 2013, and contrary to information provided to DNREC by DCRC in February 2016.
In this settlement, DCRC has agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty. Additionally, DCRC has agreed to seek a Coastal Zone Act Status Decision prior to making any future shipments of crude oil from the Delaware City refinery to a location other than their refinery in Paulsboro, New Jersey, consistent with Rule 7.0 of the Regulations Governing Delaware’s Coastal Zone.
The Delaware City refinery was also cited for NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit violations for exceeding effluent limits from the period December 2014 through August 2017. The DNREC-DCRC settlement agreement for NPDES violations includes an administrative penalty of $118,000. To offset a portion of the penalty, DCRC has elected to perform an Environmental Improvement Project approved by DNREC. The project consists of shoreline stabilization activities at the nearby Fort DuPont complex.
Both settlement agreements can be found on the DNREC website. The DNREC-DCRC agreement to the $100,000 penalty for air violations is at www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Admin/Documents/03-05-18-DNREC-DCRC-settlement-agreement-Air.pdf, and the $118,000 agreement for NPDES permit violations is at www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Admin/Documents/03-05-18-DNREC-DCRC-settlement-agreement-Water.pdf.
Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902
Vol. 48, No. 48
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