Stanislaus County trucking firm required to pay $140,000 penalty for fuel spill in Bay Area

A Turlock trucking firm is required to pay a $140,000 civil penalty under a proposed settlement of Clean Water Act violations resulting from a fuel spill in the Bay Area.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced the settlement Friday with OMG Partners. On Christmas Eve in 2021, one of the company’s tanker trucks overturned in Fremont, causing the gasoline to spill onto the freeway and into Laguna Creek, Coyote Creek and the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge.

Some of the fuel product from the overturned tanker contaminated San Francisco Bay, the EPA news release said.

“Spilled fuel can cause severe harm to our waters, wildlife and ecosystems, so it’s imperative that it be transported in a safe manner,” said Martha Guzman, a regional administrator for the EPA. “With this proposed settlement, EPA is showing our commitment to holding accountable entities that pollute waterways in the San Francisco Bay watershed.”

OMG Partners, which has a commercial fueling transport business on North Tully Road in Turlock, did not return a message from The Modesto Bee.

The truck was hauling 8,500 gallons of unleaded gasoline when the crash occurred on northbound Interstate 680. More than 90% of the gasoline was released, some of which entered the nearby creeks. According to a KTVU Fox news report, homes in the area were evacuated because of the strong smell of gas.

Contractors for OMG, directed by the EPA and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, were involved in the work to contain the large spill.