Colonial Pipeline cuts deal with federal pipeline officials over Huntersville gasoline spill

Colonial Pipeline has signed a consent agreement with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which allows the company to avoid federal civil penalties in connection with a 1.2 million gallon gasoline spill in Huntersville — the largest onshore fuel spill in the U.S. since 1997.

According to the consent agreement, Colonial “neither admits nor denies any allegation or conclusion” laid out in the document. The consent agreement does not prevent the state from assessing fines or penalties, nor does it immunize the company from third-party litigation or criminal penalties.

The consent agreement was first reported by independent journalist Rob Jaeger on Substack.

The consent order stems from the Aug. 14, 2020 incident in Huntersville that has extensively contaminated the groundwater and the soil near homes and in the Oehler Nature Preserve. The cleanup continues, including removing gasoline from the groundwater and excavating soil. Colonial says no drinking water wells have been affected, but the company paid to connect some nearby residents to the public water supply out of caution. The company also purchased three homes near the spill “to minimize the inconvenience” of the cleanup activities, Colonial said at the time.

Read more: http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2021/07/08/colonial-pipeline-cuts-deal-with-federal-pipeline-officials-over-huntersville-gasoline-spill/