ExxonMobil To Pay $6.1 Million for Oil Spill

On December 23, 2008, prosecutors in the U.S, District Court in Boston announced a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation will pay $6.1 million in fines and plead guilty to criminal charges of violating the Clean Water Act. The charges stemmed from a January 2006 spill of 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel at an Everett oil terminal. The spill occurred during a period of 12 hours when a metal coupling in the oil tanker M/V Nara burst due to pressure from a small diesel fuel leak. Diesel fuel spilled into the Island End and Mystic Rivers, coating both with a blue-green sheen. Coast Guard authorities discovered the source of the spill after receiving numerous concerned phone calls.

Investigations also revealed a contractor had discovered the faulty valve during a September 2005, but the company failed to take corrective action. While the fuel took several weeks to clean up and permeated some local boats and docks , there was no evident damage to wildlife in the area. ExxonMobil will pay $538,652 in fines and cleanup costs as well as a community service payment of over $5.6 million to the North American Wetlands Conservation Act Fund.  Beyond the fine, the company will fund a court-appointed monitor to oversee the Everett terminal for three years and also follow a rigorous environmental compliance plan.