LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced June 7 that the SoCo Group Inc., a petroleum marketing and distribution company based in Carlsbad, has agreed to pay $59,400 and resolve allegations related to its 2016 oil spill in San Diego.
The allegations stem from an incident that occurred May 13, 2016. A SoCo tanker truck was purportedly traveling at an unsafe speed and overturned while making a highway-to-local road transition. During the incident, the truck allegedly discharged around 88 barrels (3,715 gallons) of diesel fuel. This fuel made its way through storm drains to the San Diego River and adjoining shorelines. The San Diego River flows into Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Involved in the cleanup were the EPA, the San Diego County Environmental Health’s Hazardous Materials Division, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, San Diego Public Works, the San Diego Police Department, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period.