Multimedia Enforcement: Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Broussard Oil Services Storage/Distribution Center Enter into Settlement Agreement

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (“LDEQ”) and Clariant Corporation (“CC”) entered into a Settlement Agreement (“Agreement”) addressing alleged violations of the hazardous waste, SPCC, and stormwater regulations. See Docket No. 2024-10058-DEQ.

The Agreement provides that CC owns and/or operates an oil services products storage and distribution center in Broussard, Louisiana.

The facility is stated to repack finished products for use in oil field production facilities. It notified the Department as a Large Quantity Generator of Hazardous Wastes and operates under a United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Identification Number.

LDEQ conducted an inspection of the facility on May 2, 2022, and identified the following violations:

• Failure to keep containers holding hazardous waste closed at all times, except when it is necessary to add or remove waste.
• Accumulated/stored hazardous waste on-site for more than ninety (90) days without interim status or a standard permit.
• Failure to determine if generated solid waste is a hazard.
• Failure to demonstrate the length of time that the universal waste has been accumulated from the date it became a waste or was received.
• Failure to keep containers holding hazardous waste closed at all times during accumulation at or near the point of generation where the waste initially accumulates, except when it is necessary to add, remove, or consolidate waste.
• Failure to mark or label containers accumulating hazardous waste located at or near the point of generation where the waste was initially accumulated with the words "Hazardous Waste" and with an indication of the hazards of the contents.
• Failure to notify the Office of Environmental Services within seven (7) days when any of the information submitted in the Notification of Hazardous Waste Activity Form (HW-1 Notification Form) changed.
• Failure to have a Waste Minimization Plan.
• Failure to implement the SPCC plan.
• Failure to comply with Sewage Sludge and Biosolids Use or Disposal General Permit.
• Caused and/or allowed the discharge of industrial stormwater runoff from its facility to waters of the state without authority from the LDEQ.

The Agreement includes a Compliance Order which specifies various corrective actions to take place pursuant to a time schedule.

CC denies it committed any violations or that it is liable for any fines, forfeitures, and/or penalties.

A copy of the Agreement can be downloaded here.