Gas-Station Chain Pays Fine in Tank Dispute
USA Petroleum has agreed to pay $325,000 to settle a dispute regarding leaking tanks at some of its 10 gas stations in Ventura County.
Inspections in Oxnard found the carcinogen benzine, the suspected carcinogen MTBE, gasoline and lead in the soil around leaking tanks.
The Agoura Hills-based company, which did not admit wrongdoing, will install new tanks at stations in Camarillo, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, and promises to ensure that its other local stations are problem-free within 90 days.
Ventura County’s cash-strapped general fund will receive $175,000 of the civil penalty, with the rest split between local and state agencies and groups.
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