Firm fined for oil spill Company to pay Baileyville $8,500

JCN Construction of Manchester, N.H., has agreed to pay an $8,500 fine and reimburse the town of Baileyville for all cleanup costs required after at least 2,000 gallons of heating fuel spilled in 2006 from a facility built by the contractor.

A copy of the consent agreement the firm has entered into with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection was available on the DEP’s Web site Wednesday, though the agreement is dated Jan. 17.

According to the agreement, the design of a fuel system built into the newly constructed $6 million U.S. Border Patrol station in Baileyville failed in the fall of 2006. The agreement states that JCN contributed to a spill of at least 2,000 gallons of No. 2 oil which flowed through a floor drain in the boiler room of the station into the Baileyville sewage treatment system.

The spill was discovered on Nov. 4, 2006. Ultimately, 1,763 gallons of oil were recovered from the Baileyville treatment facility and JCN was ordered to reimburse the town of Baileyville for all cleanup costs. That amount is $5,278.

JCN was also fined $8,500 and ordered to undertake measures to ensure such spills do not occur at another facility it will soon construct in Jackman.

The New Hampshire firm was awarded a $25.9 million contract this week to construct a new port of entry building at the Jackman border crossing.

The crossing handles some 300,000 travelers and 200,000 vehicles traveling between Maine and Quebec, according to Canadian statistics.

In 2003, the Canadian government completed a $7 million upgrade to its facility in Armstrong, Quebec, across from Jackman.

Scott Harriman, town manager of Baileyville, said Wednesday that the spill “was an unfortunate situation. They are a good company and they worked well with us. This incident should not color their reputation.”

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