Companies to Pay $312K in Mass. Oil Spill

Three companies allegedly responsible for spilling about 18,000 gallons of fuel oil into the Chelsea River and Mill Creek in Revere in Massachusetts have agreed to pay $312,500 to a restoration fund.

The oil was released in 2006 from a pipeline that was under repair on a fuel loading dock that is jointly owned and operated by Irving Oil Corp., Irving Oil Terminals and Global Petroleum Corp.

Attorney General Martha Coakley announced a settlement agreement in which the companies will pay the money to the Natural Resource Damages Trust.

Coakley said the spill could have been avoided if the companies had communicated with each other before the repair work and closed valves that would have restricted oil flow through the open pipeline.

Greg Poitras, director of corporate affairs for Portsmouth, N.H.-based Irving Oil, said that since the incident, the company has made changes to the operating procedures at the dock where the spill occurred to prevent something similar from happening.

“We take our environmental responsibilities seriously, as demonstrated by our quick response to the spill and the tireless efforts of our employees, working with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Revere Fire Department, to minimize the spill’s impact,” Poitras said.