MPCA News Releases

Airport Agrees to Pay $540,000 for Environmental Violations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 03/15/2005

Media Contact: Michael Rafferty, (651) 297-8294 Technical Contact: Joe 

Henderson, (651) 297-8496 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 

St. Paul, Minn. -- Under agreements with the Minnesota Pollution Control 

Agency (MPCA), the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), Minneapolis Fuel 

Committee (MFC) and Aircraft Service International Inc. (ASII) will be 

required to pay civil penalties and complete environmental projects at a 

total cost of $540,000. The agreements resolve alleged violations related to 

aircraft fuel leaks at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 

One agreement addresses violations at the Lindbergh Terminal and requires the 

MAC, MFC and ASII to pay $41,666 each and conduct an estimated $370,000 in 

supplemental environmental projects at the terminal. A second agreement with 

ASII addresses violations at the Humphery Terminal and requires a payment of 

$45,000. 

"These agreements mean the Minnesota River will be better protected through a 

comprehensive approach to site management. Elements of this approach include: 

early warning systems for potential leaks, a more coordinated spill and 

response plan for the airport site, continued recovery of fuel through 

cleanups, proper management of waste fuel and better methods to prevent 

stormwater pollution," said MPCA Commissioner Sheryl Corrigan. 

The agreement addressing problems at the Lindbergh Terminal covers discharges 

of jet fuel from the storm sewer into the Minnesota River, failure to 

properly report and respond to jet fuel releases and failure to prevent 

leaks. The agreement also covers improper management of wastes from the fuel 

pipeline system, and improper discharge of waste jet fuel into the storm and 

sanitary sewer systems. The second agreement covers mismanagement of wastes 

from the Humphrey Terminal fuel pipeline system. 

In addition to paying the penalty, the MAC will replace parts of the jet fuel 

pipeline system serving Concourse D and Concourse E at the Lindbergh 

Terminal, decreasing the risk of additional leaks. The MAC will monitor the 

ground-water quality at the airport and replace manual valves at the 

stormwater ponds with remotely-operated gates. ASII will provide and store 

additional spill-response equipment. Finally, the parties will clean up areas 

with identified leaks, including the large aboveground storage tanks located 

on Post Road and parts of the fuel pipeline system. 

In February 2003, MPCA inspectors, while investigating petroleum fumes in the 

Bishop Whipple Federal Building, discovered a significant leak from the fuel 

pipeline system at Concourse A, which released jet fuel to the sanitary 

sewer. During the investigation, a second leak was found at Concourse D, 

which the MPCA determined was entering the stormwater system and producing 

oily sheens in the Minnesota River. 
Based on its investigation, the MPCA concluded that the leaks went undetected 

at the airport until the MPCA's February 2003 inspection because the parties 

were not in compliance with monitoring requirements established under the 

airport's permit governing the underground piping system. After document 

review, the MPCA determined that there were additional unreported spills and 

illegal discharges of waste fuel/water mixtures into the sanitary and 

stormwater systems, as well as a failure to properly respond to these spills 

and discharges at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 

The MAC notified the MPCA about additional violations at the Humphrey 

Terminal that occurred between August 2001 and October 2003 including the 

improper discharge of waste from the fuel pipeline system. 

Agreements such as these are one of the MPCA's many tools used to achieve 

compliance with environmental laws. When calculating penalties, the MPCA 

takes into account how seriously the violation affected the environment, 

whether it is a first time or repeat violation, and how promptly the 

violation was reported to appropriate authorities. It also attempts to 

recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with 

environmental laws in a timely manner. For a comprehensive list of 

enforcement actions by the MPCA, refer to the agency Web site at: 

http://www.pca.state.mn.us/newscenter/enforcement.html

Reporter Notes: In November 2004, the MPCA and MAC entered into a stipulation 

agreement resolving violations related to deicing chemicals and petroleumcontaminated water draining off the airport's property and into the Minnesota 

River, Snelling Lake and Mother Lake. MAC paid a $34,538 penalty and was 

required to partially fund an environmental study of the Lower Minnesota 

River at a cost of $34,538. 

The MAC owns all land and facilities at the Minneapolis-St. Paul 

International Airport, and is responsible for those portions which are not 

leased to any tenants, including the Lindbergh and Humphrey terminals. The 

MFC is a consortium of airlines that operate at the Lindbergh Terminal. The 

MFC has leased the Lindbergh Terminal aircraft fueling operations (including 

the tank farm, hydrant system, oil/water separators, and the vehicle 

maintenance facility) from the MAC. The MFC contracts with ASII to operate 

the fuel tanks, fuel pipeline system, oil/water separators, the vehicle 

maintenance facility, and into-plane fueling at the Lindbergh Terminal. The 

MFC does not operate at the Humphrey Terminal. The MAC hires ASII to perform 

into-plane fueling there. 

Photos related to these agreements are available by contacting Mike Rafferty 

at (651) 297-8294. Information about the airport is available at the MPCA's 

Web site at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/airport.html