Boston - The owner of Charlton Welding and Repair, Inc. was charged today with violating the federal Clean Water Act.
Larry McKissick, II, 42, of Charlton, has agreed to plead guilty to negligently discharging a harmful quantity of oil, namely diesel fuel, into or upon the navigable waters of the United States. On June 11, 2010, McKissick washed diesel fuel off of the parking lot at his business property after realizing that the fuel had been released from a storage tanker parked on the property. It is estimated that 3,200 gallons of diesel fuel were released from the storage tank and washed into a tributary stream connected to the Quinebaug River. The fuel spill caused impacts to the wetlands and triggered a six month cleanup response by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection costing more than $680,000.
A plea hearing date has yet to be scheduled. McKissick faces up to one year in prison to be followed by up to one year of supervised release and up to $1.36 million in fines.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Michael Hubbard, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region I’s Criminal Investigation Division made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anton P. Giedt of Ortiz’s office.
