Exxon Mobil Penalized $11.2 Million For EPA Violations

Compiled ByGlenn Hasek The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and the EPA announced the settlement of an $11.2 million hazardous waste suit against Exxon Mobil Corp., Irving, Texas. The suit originally was filed in 1996 by the U.S. Attorney's Office against the former Mobil Oil Corp., which merged with Exxon Corp. in 1999. The case alleged mismanagement of benzene-contaminated wastes at Port Mobil, a major petroleum product storage and distribution terminal on the Arthur Kill in Staten Island. The settlement includes an $8.2 million civil penalty pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Exxon Mobil Corp. also must pay $3 million to purchase or restore environmentally sensitive lands in New York City on the Arthur Kill waterway that runs between Staten Island and New Jersey. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, on three occasions in 1993 EPA RCRA enforcers caught Mobil unlawfully discharging benzene-contaminated wastes into open-air ponds without the permit required by Congress and the EPA. Port Mobil water samples reportedly included more than 20 times the lawful level of benzene. Studies also determined that Mobil wastes were consistently hazardous for benzene.