Delaware City Refinery to pay $218,000 penalty for violations

The Delaware City Refinery has agreed to pay a $218,000 penalty for a series of environmental violations. (File/WHYY)
The Delaware City Refining Company has agreed to pay $218,000 in two settlements with the state for a series of environmental violations.
In March 2017, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued a Secretary’s Order contending the refinery violated a 2013 agreement related to crude oil shipments.
The refinery had agreed in 2013 to ship crude oil only to a refinery in Paulsboro, N.J., owned by its corporate parent PBF Energy, as a condition of receiving an air permit from state environmental regulators. Contrary to the order, refinery operators made 17 barge deliveries carrying 35.7 million gallons to three other locations through 2014, according to the state.
The refinery will pay $100,000 for the violation, and has agreed to seek a Coastal Zone Act Status Decision prior to making any future shipments of crude oil to a location other than Paulsboro.
The refinery also will pay $118,000 for exceeding pollution effluent limits between December 2014 and August 2017. The company also will offset a portion of the penalty by initiating a DNREC-approved Environmental Improvement Project, consisting of shoreline stabilization activities at the nearby Fort DuPont Complex.
DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin said in a statement that his department “is working to address all outstanding issues at the refinery. Moving forward, DNREC recognizes the importance of the Delaware City Refining Company taking steps to minimize future violations.”
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