"MSP fined $540,000 over fuel spills"

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

MAC will pay pollution penalty 
By Tom Meersman
The Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune 


State pollution officials said Tuesday that the Metropolitan Airports
Commission and two associated groups will pay $540,000 in fines and
corrective actions for jet fuel leaks into sanitary sewers and the Minnesota
River.

Tens of thousands of gallons of the hazardous fuel leaked from high-pressure
underground pipes in two places at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport in February 2003, contaminating soil and groundwater. A state
investigation revealed many problems, including other spills that were not
reported, illegal discharges of waste fuel into storm and sanitary systems,
failure to respond to jet fuel leaks and failure to prevent leaks.

In addition to the penalty, the agreement requires the Airports Commission
to replace older sections of the pipeline system, monitor groundwater
quality more extensively and clean up areas known to be contaminated.

The agreement was approved last week by the commission, the Minneapolis Fuel
Committee, which is a consortium of airlines, and Aircraft Service
International Inc., a subcontractor that operates the fuel system.

Patrick Hogan, a spokesman for the commission, said pollution officials
measure the cost of corrective actions differently than industry. "In real
dollars we will have spent $7 million before we're finished making
environmental upgrades at the airport," Hogan said. The changes began in
2003 and will be finished by the end of 2005, he said. They will include
cleanup from the leaks, new testing equipment to monitor the fueling system,
changes to stormwater ponds, more absorbent booms and replacement of
underground piping along the Lindbergh terminal's D Concourse.

Hogan said the commission still disagrees with pollution officials about
whether any jet fuel reached the Minnesota River. He said it was caught by
absorbent booms at the edge of the river before entering the main channel.

Sheryl Corrigan, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
provided the final signature on the agreement late Monday.


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