Fines total $720,000 for violations after the 2010 explosion that killed seven workers; the company says the EPA is “on the wrong side of the facts and the law.”
SEATTLE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined the Tesoro oil refinery in Anacortes nearly $720,000 for alleged safety violations.
The EPA said last week it filed a complaint seeking penalties for violations found during two facility inspections in 2011.
KUOW-FM reports the violations didn’t result in any injuries, but the EPA says prevention is critical at oil and gas refineries.
A Tesoro official said, “The EPA’s claims are wrong on the facts and the law.”
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In 2010, an explosion at the refinery killed seven workers.
Tesoro is appealing $2.4 million in fines related to that case.
The refinery supplies gasoline, jet fuel and diesel to markets in Washington and Oregon. About 350 people work on site.