Ecology fines BP Cherry Point Refinery for these environmental violations
The Washington State Department of Ecology has fined BP Cherry Point Refinery $8,000 for environmental violations, the agency announced.
The refinery northwest of Ferndale was penalized for having incomplete labels on dangerous waste containers, improper management of universal wastes, and missing inspection logs, according to Ecology.
Universal waste refers to commonly generated hazardous wastes, such as used batteries and used fluorescent bulbs, which were the universal wastes involved in this case, according to Ecology spokesman Larry Altose.
The dangerous waste containers had sodium hydroxide and dried slop-paint material, Altose said, explaining that the latter is what’s left after cleaning equipment used to apply paint such as brushes, rollers and sprayers. It also could include non-usable paint remnants in containers.
Ecology issued the fine on Oct. 4, 2019, for an inspection conducted in March of that year.
“We issued this penalty based on two violations seen by our inspector during a visit in March 2019. We observed multiple dangerous waste containers that were missing risk labels,” Altose said in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
“In addition, we reviewed the inspection records from 2016-17 and found missing weekly inspection logs of their dangerous waste accumulation area and paint shed. Both of these violations were repeat violations that we had noted during our previous inspection, in 2016,” he explained.
BP has since complied with the regulations and paid the full penalty, Altose said.
The fine was among $2.1 million in penalties of $1,000 or more that Ecology issued to businesses and agencies throughout the state from October through December, according to an Ecology news release on Monday, Feb. 24.
Fines go into the state’s general fund or to pollution prevention accounts, according to Ecology.
BP Cherry Point representatives couldn’t be reached for comment immediately.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 10:48 AM.
