Gardner transportation firm fined $116K over Revere wetland damage
Goguen Transportation, a shipping and trucking company based in Gardner, has been fined $116,459 by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for an oil spill that damaged protected wetlands. The fine is part of nearly $1 million the company paid to clean up two spills from 2021.
The spill occurred on Oct. 13, 2021, when a Goguen tanker truck rolled over at the Brown Circle Rotary in Revere, spilling oil into a storm drain, which discharges into local waterways, according to a Tuesday press release from MassMEP.
MassDEP estimated the oil spill damaged more than 47 acres of wetlands, causing damage to various plant and animal habitats.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 gallons of fuel oil were spilled during the incident, according to a separate Oct. 20 press release from the EPA.
“Rumney Marsh is an Area of Critical Environmental Concern for the Commonwealth and provides important ecological benefits to the public and the environment,” MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple said in the Tuesday press release. “The settlement will ensure that the public is compensated for the natural resources damaged. This significant funding will be used to repair the injuries done to the marsh, wetlands, fish and wildlife, and native plant species.”
In addition to the state fine, Goguen was also assessed a $35,354 penalty by the EPA for this incident after the two parties reached a settlement. The penalty also covered a separate December 2021 incident in Athol, where another tanker rollover led to approximately 4,500 gallons of fuel oil into Mill Brook and Millers River.
On top of the six figure fine from MassDEP, state regulations held Goguen responsible for the cost of clean-up efforts for both spills.
An EPA estimate concluded that Goguen has spent more than $570,000 to clean up the Revere spill. The agency expects the Athol cleanup efforts to cost at least $300,000.
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