Oil companies agree to pay $7.4 million for violating the Clean Water Act after crude oil pipeline ruptures
Holly Energy Partners-Operating L.P. and Osage Pipe Line Company LLC have agreed to pay $7.4 million in penalties for violating the Clean Water Act. An investigation conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Justice Department began after a pipeline rupture caused crude oil to spill onto land owned by members of the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma. The rupture and subsequent leak caused 300,000 gallons (7,110 barrels) of crude oil to be discharged into Skull Creek.
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As part of the settlement, the two companies will have to take steps to complete the cleanup and remediation of the impacted area. In addition, the companies must improve their pipeline integrity management program, provide additional training for all their control room operators, and expand their spill notification efforts for tribal governments with land interests within the footprint of the pipeline. For context, Osage Pipe Line Company owns the 135-mile-long pipeline that transports crude oil from an Oklahoma tank farm to the refinery in Kansas, with Holly Energy Partners-Operating acting as the operator of the pipeline.
In a recent quote, Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance said, “The pipeline spill in this case dumped nearly 300,000 gallons of crude oil, contaminating Skull Creek and severely hampering water quality and the aquatic environment in the creek. EPA and its federal partners are requiring the oil companies who caused the spill to restore Skull Creek, operate safely, and take steps to prevent future spills.”
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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