Tuesday, March 30, 2004
By Reuters
BOSTON — A New York company whose barge spilled thousands of gallons
of oil off the Massachusetts coast last year has pleaded guilty
to criminal charges and will pay a $10 million fine, a federal prosecutor
said Monday.
Hicksville, New York–based Bouchard Transportation Co. pleaded
guilty to negligently causing about 98,000 gallons of oil to spill
into the Atlantic.
The spill happened when a Bouchard tugboat towing an oil barge
went off course and hit rocks under the waterline in Buzzards Bay,
about 60 miles south of Boston, on April 27, 2003.
Prosecutors said the company had allowed the tugboat's operator
to continue working despite repeated concerns about his competency.
Bouchard also pleaded guilty to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act, based on the deaths of at least 370 protected birds as a result
of the spill.
"This substantial fine of $10 million will provide critically
needed funds to enhance conservation efforts (in the bay),"
U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said in a statement.
The fine will go in part to the North American Wetlands Conservation
Fund, used by the Department of the Interior to finance conservation
projects. A portion of the money will also go to help U.S. Coast
Guard oil-spill cleanup efforts.
"Bouchard Transportation will also be required to comply with
strict requirements aimed at preventing this type of environmental
tragedy from ever happening again," Sullivan added.
An investigation is still under way into the incident's cause.
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