EPA fines Ayer oil distributor for 7K-gallon peanut oil spill
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Cantania Oils is located at 90 Nemco Way in Ayer.
Catania Oils, an Ayer-based oil distributor, has been fined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a result of a peanut oil spill that allegedly violated the Clean Water Act, a federal law regulating pollutant discharge into U.S. waters.
Catania has paid a $47,813 penalty for the April 18 alleged release of 6,830 gallons of peanut oil into a neighboring wetland draining into the Merrimack River, according to a Thursday release from the EPA. Catania has already spent more than $467,000 to clean up the spill and intends to spend an additional $1 million in prevention improvement projects.
“The cleanup is now complete, and environmental experts confirmed that there was no lasting damage to the local environment. We have implemented and continue to implement stronger safety protocols with our third-party rail car provider to ensure an incident like this does not happen again,” Catania President Joseph Basile said in a Thursday statement provided to WBJ.
The spill occurred during the oil unloading process and was caused by a faulty valve on one of the facility’s railcars, according to the statement. Catania then partnered with the Town of Ayer, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the EPA to clean up the spill.
"Companies have responsibilities to prevent spills," David Cash, EPA’s New England region administrator, said in the EPA release. "This settlement highlights EPA’s commitment to protecting America’s waterways and ensures communities, wildlife, and the natural resources they depend on, are protected from substances that can harm human health or the environment."
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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