Bus Companies Will Pay More Than $237,000, Settling Environmental Violations

Environmental Protection Agency, Jan 11, 2007

Three bus companies in Conn., R.I. and Mass., jointly owned and operated by Peter Pan Bus Lines, will pay $237,179 in penalties and will install new filters on most of their buses to settle violations of federal clean air and clean water rules.

The settlement with EPA involves violations by Arrow Line Acquisition in Conn., Bonanza Acquisition in R.I., and Peter Pan Bus Lines in Mass. - all of which are owned by Peter Pan Bus Lines Trust of Springfield, Mass. All three companies violated Clean Water Act storm water permit requirements, and violated federal oil spill prevention regulations and associated spill prevention plan requirements. Further, Peter Pan violated Massachusetts’ vehicle idling limitations.

A Massachusetts anti-idling regulation prohibits vehicle engine idling for more than five minutes, with certain exceptions. According to the settlement consent agreement, Peter Pan violated this Clean Air Act regulation at least 45 times from Feb. through April, 2006 in and around Boston and Springfield, Mass. This action is part of a larger EPA effort to minimize diesel idling, particularly in urban areas.

The companies’ bus maintenance garages in Providence, R.I. and Chelsea, Mass. failed to obtain a storm water discharge permit, and failed to prepare and fully implement an oil spill prevention plan. Storm water permits are critical to reducing pollutants in storm water runoff. Fuel spills and oil leaks from maintenance activities at these garages can contaminate storm water runoff and nearby rivers.

Read more at: www.yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/b1ab9f485b098972852562e7004dc686/15f1471ddb02ad278525725f005439c1!OpenDocument