Edison to Pay $12,500 Over 1996 Oil Spill
Southern California Edison was ordered to pay $12,500 in civil penalties and costs as a settlement for a 1996 hazardous waste spill in Oxnard, the district attorney’s office announced this week.
On Feb. 21, 1996, a ruptured transformer caused seven gallons of oil to spill onto four residences at Gardenia and Fuchsia streets. The oil was contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, deemed a hazardous waste by state and federal laws.
Although Edison cleaned the spill promptly, it did not report the spill to any government agency. As a result, the Ventura County district attorney’s office charged the company with violating the Health Safety Code. In addition to the financial settlement, Edison will also be bound by a permanent injunction requiring it to report any further spills.
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