Oil Company Settles Suit on Disposal

A major oil company has agreed to a $45,000 settlement for what authorities called illegal disposal of crude oil waste at its Brea facility, the Orange County district attorney’s office announced Tuesday.

The environmental protection unit of the district attorney’s office filed suit against Shell Western E&P; Inc., an affiliate of Shell Oil, after discovering a pool of oil surrounded by dirt at the company’s Brea facility.

An investigation by county and state agencies determined that the company had been disposing of oil waste on the property in violation of California’s environmental laws, said Valerie A. Griswold, deputy district attorney.

When notified, the company immediately began cleaning up the waste, prosecutors say.

Without admitting wrongdoing, Shell Western agreed to clean up the site and pay $45,000 in civil penalties and investigative costs, the district attorney’s office said.

“Shell Western did not admit to any violations,” said Susan Hersberger, spokeswoman for CalResources LLC, an affiliate of Shell Western. “We decided to settle in this matter to avoid the costs of pending litigation. We regret the difference of opinion over our oil field practice. It is our policy and our practice to operate safely and in an environmentally safe manner.”

But Griswold said the settlement “serves as a forceful message to the large oil companies that we will not permit them to unlawfully dispose of any types of waste within Orange County.”