MPCA News Releases


Airport Agrees to Pay $540,000 for Environmental Violations 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 03/15/2005
Media Contact: Michael Rafferty, (651) 297-8294 Technical Contact: Joe Henderson, (651) 297-8496 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 
St. Paul, Minn. -- Under agreements with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), Minneapolis Fuel Committee (MFC) and Aircraft Service International Inc. (ASII) will be required to pay civil penalties and complete environmental projects at a total cost of $540,000. The agreements resolve alleged violations related to aircraft fuel leaks at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 
One agreement addresses violations at the Lindbergh Terminal and requires the MAC, MFC and ASII to pay $41,666 each and conduct an estimated $370,000 in supplemental environmental projects at the terminal. A second agreement with ASII addresses violations at the Humphery Terminal and requires a payment of $45,000. 
"These agreements mean the Minnesota River will be better protected through a comprehensive approach to site management. Elements of this approach include: early warning systems for potential leaks, a more coordinated spill and response plan for the airport site, continued recovery of fuel through cleanups, proper management of waste fuel and better methods to prevent stormwater pollution," said MPCA Commissioner Sheryl Corrigan. 
The agreement addressing problems at the Lindbergh Terminal covers discharges of jet fuel from the storm sewer into the Minnesota River, failure to properly report and respond to jet fuel releases and failure to prevent leaks. The agreement also covers improper management of wastes from the fuel pipeline system, and improper discharge of waste jet fuel into the storm and sanitary sewer systems. The second agreement covers mismanagement of wastes from the Humphrey Terminal fuel pipeline system. 
In addition to paying the penalty, the MAC will replace parts of the jet fuel pipeline system serving Concourse D and Concourse E at the Lindbergh Terminal, decreasing the risk of additional leaks. The MAC will monitor the ground-water quality at the airport and replace manual valves at the stormwater ponds with remotely-operated gates. ASII will provide and store additional spill-response equipment. Finally, the parties will clean up areas with identified leaks, including the large aboveground storage tanks located on Post Road and parts of the fuel pipeline system. 
In February 2003, MPCA inspectors, while investigating petroleum fumes in the Bishop Whipple Federal Building, discovered a significant leak from the fuel pipeline system at Concourse A, which released jet fuel to the sanitary sewer. During the investigation, a second leak was found at Concourse D, which the MPCA determined was entering the stormwater system and producing oily sheens in the Minnesota River. 
Based on its investigation, the MPCA concluded that the leaks went undetected at the airport until the MPCA's February 2003 inspection because the parties were not in compliance with monitoring requirements established under the airport's permit governing the underground piping system. After document review, the MPCA determined that there were additional unreported spills and illegal discharges of waste fuel/water mixtures into the sanitary and stormwater systems, as well as a failure to properly respond to these spills and discharges at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 
The MAC notified the MPCA about additional violations at the Humphrey Terminal that occurred between August 2001 and October 2003 including the improper discharge of waste from the fuel pipeline system. 
Agreements such as these are one of the MPCA's many tools used to achieve compliance with environmental laws. When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violation affected the environment, whether it is a first time or repeat violation, and how promptly the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. It also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, refer to the agency Web site at: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/newscenter/enforcement.html 
Reporter Notes: In November 2004, the MPCA and MAC entered into a stipulation agreement resolving violations related to deicing chemicals and petroleum-contaminated water draining off the airport's property and into the Minnesota River, Snelling Lake and Mother Lake. MAC paid a $34,538 penalty and was required to partially fund an environmental study of the Lower Minnesota River at a cost of $34,538. 
The MAC owns all land and facilities at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and is responsible for those portions which are not leased to any tenants, including the Lindbergh and Humphrey terminals. The MFC is a consortium of airlines that operate at the Lindbergh Terminal. The MFC has leased the Lindbergh Terminal aircraft fueling operations (including the tank farm, hydrant system, oil/water separators, and the vehicle maintenance facility) from the MAC. The MFC contracts with ASII to operate the fuel tanks, fuel pipeline system, oil/water separators, the vehicle maintenance facility, and into-plane fueling at the Lindbergh Terminal. The MFC does not operate at the Humphrey Terminal. The MAC hires ASII to perform into-plane fueling there. 
Photos related to these agreements are available by contacting Mike Rafferty at (651) 297-8294. Information about the airport is available at the MPCA's Web site at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/airport.html 




