A former owner of a Douglas gas station has been ordered to close his underground storage tanks (UST) and pay a $45,000 civil penalty for violations of Arizona’s UST storage tank laws and regulations.
A default judgment was entered in Maricopa County Superior Court during a hearing late last month against Frank Tadeo, who was doing business as Frank Tadeo Chevron. Tadeo failed to appear at the hearing.
The default judgment also noted that if Frank Tadeo Chevron, located at 1420 G Ave. in Douglas, does not permanently close four non-compliant USTs at the site on or before Feb. 26, 2015, an additional $45,000 civil penalty will be imposed.
Routine inspections conducted in 2008 and 2013 revealed a continued history of non-compliance. As a result, ADEQ sought assistance from the Attorney General’s Office because of repeated violations . Tadeo has had an ongoing history of non-compliance including violations of temporary closure, release detection, financial assurance and notification.
ADEQ required the tanks to be permanently closed in 2009 but Takeo has continued operating a used oil tank and has not measured and recorded the amount of oil in the tank. Tadeo also has not provided documentation of financial responsibility since 2003 and has provided no notice of taking the tanks out of service.
“We have tried for years to work with Mr. Tadeo to resolve these problems but he has been unresponsive,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said.