After the enterprise blew up, the building that housed the crude factory burned for hours. Neighbors, dismayed to learn of the hazardous business operating in secret next door, were evacuated to avoid smoke and toxic fumes. When we found the property owner, we learned he had leased the property to a trucking company, which in turn leased it to another firm, Hamm recalled. On cases such as this, the Houston team collaborates with the EPA, the Coast Guard, other state agencies, counties, cities, local hazardous material teams, fire departments, law enforcement, and corporate response units. Only the top 10 largest corporations have a response team, Hamm said.
Most corporations rely on outside contractors for response to spills.
When a spiller cannot provide a contractor, we have the ability to hire our contractor for cleanup with designated state funds. The state has the right to recover costs whether or not expenditures have been made out of the Texas Spill Response Fund. In some circumstances, spills may lead to criminal prosecution of violators who intentionally or knowingly allow an unauthorized discharge of waste or a pollutant into water in the state that causes or threatens to cause water pollution. Additionally, any person who knowingly falsifies records or reports concerning the prevention or cleanup of a spill may be guilty of a third degree felony. In Texas, the one who spills is responsible for cleanup, Fawn said.