DEQ issues $16,281 penalty to Jack Mullins for failing to clean an oil release after wreck on Highway 26 near Mitchell
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued a $16,281 penalty to Jack Mullins for failing to immediately clean up a diesel release after the oil application truck operated by his company wrecked Sept. 10, 2015 on Highway 26 near Mitchell, OR.
The spill consisted of between 300 and 1,000 gallons of asphalt oil, ten gallons of diesel fuel and two gallons of motor oil. The oil was released onto the roadway and adjacent shoulder.
A cleanup contractor hired by the Oregon Department of Transportation eventually cleaned up the spill by removing more than 20 tons of contaminated soil.
DEQ issued the penalty because failing to clean up a spill or release is a serious violations of Oregon law. Even small amounts of oil or petroleum products can threaten water, groundwater, vegetation and soil.
Mullins has appealed the penalty.
View the notice of civil penalty: https://www.oregon.gov/deq/nr/052416mullinsE.pdf
Contact:
Mike Renz, State On-Scene Spills Coordinator, Bend, 541-633-2004, renz.mike@deq.state.or.us
Esther Westbrook, Environmental Law Specialist, Portland, 503-229-5374, westbrook.esther@deq.state.or.us
