Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Countrymark Refining - Mt. Vernon, Indiana

EPA used its authority under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, known as RCRA, to issue an administrative order to Countrymark Refinery for corrective action. EPA determined corrective action was needed to protect human health and the environment.

Background

Countrymark Refining is an approximate 308 acre oil refinery that began operations in 1940 in Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Today, the Countrymark refinery processes 27,000 barrels of American crude oil per day and brings to the market 450 million gallons of finished fuel products per year. Countrymark is unique in that 100% of the crude oil refined is sourced from the Illinois Basin, which includes southern Illinois, southern Indiana and western Kentucky. Transport trucks and a network of pipelines stretching 400 miles bring local crude oil into the refinery.

EPA and Countrymark entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) pursuant to Section 3008(h) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) on August 2, 2013. Countrymark has agreed to the terms of this AOC and has committed to investigating the nature and extent of potential contamination, taking corrective actions if necessary, and protecting human health and the environment.