Houston-based energy corporation, Phillips 66, has been charged with six counts of violating the Clean Water Act for allegedly discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater from its Carson oil refinery into Los Angeles County’s sewer system without proper reporting, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
The federal grand jury indictment includes two counts of negligent violations and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act in relation to an industrial wastewater discharge incident that occurred on November 24, 2020 at Phillips’ Carson refinery.
The indictment notes that the 2.5-hour long discharge to the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) sewer system contained a concentration of oil and grease more than 300 times the permissible limit. Additionally, the company’s Carson facility failed to inform LACSD of its non-compliant discharge.
“Protecting our environment is key to protecting our community,” stated U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “Just like the rest of us, corporations have a duty to follow the law. When companies contaminate, they must be held accountable. My office remains committed to safeguarding natural resources for all to enjoy.”
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A subsequent incident is alleged to have occurred on February 8, 2021, when the Carson refinery is accused of discharging approximately 480,000 gallons of non-compliant wastewater over a five-and-a-half-hour period, releasing at least 33,700 lbs. of oil and grease into the sewer system. Once again, Phillips 66 failed to notify LACSD about the discharge.
In both cases, the LACSD issued multiple violation notices to Phillips 66 for the unauthorized discharges, which adversely affected its facilities. Internal communications from Phillips 66 acknowledged the violations and pledged to retrain operations personnel and improve notification procedures.
If convicted on all counts, Phillips 66 faces fines of up to $2.4 million and a maximum probation period of five years for each count.
