Bouchard Transportation Co. to pay $10 million fine for oil spill
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston said Bouchard Transportation Co. will pay a $10 million fine for its role in an oil spill at Buzzards Bay in southeastern Massachusetts.
On April 27, 2003, a barge handled by Bouchard Transportation struck a rocky shoal outside the “clearly marked” Buzzards Bay channel, resulting in the spill of about 98,000 gallons of oil into the bay.
“In imposing the highest ever fine in an oil spill case in New England, the court has raised the stakes for shippers who fail to take the necessary steps to prevent oil spills like that in Buzzards Bay,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan in a statement.
About $7 million of the fine will go toward wetland conservation projects in the Buzzard Bay watershed.
Bouchard Transportation Co. to pay $10 million fine for oil spill
