Iowa 80 and Joplin 44 truck stops fined by EPA

Editor’s note: The story has been updated with a response from the Iowa 80 Group.

The owner of a pair of well-known truck stops has agreed to pay nearly $400,000 in fines as a result of alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.

On Jan. 6, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the Iowa 80 Group Inc. – owner of the Iowa 80 and Joplin 44 truck stops – had reached an agreement with the agency to pay $390,784 to resolve allegations that the company “failed to comply with regulations intended to protect water bodies from petroleum discharges.”

The EPA alleged the truck stops failed to adequately develop and implement Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure plans and failed to prepare a Facility Response Plan, both of which are required by the Clean Water Act. The agency said it discovered the alleged violations in 2023 during inspections of both facilities.

However, the Iowa 80 Group told Land Line that the violation stemmed from nothing more than a “paperwork error.”

“This was not related to a spill or leak of any kind,” said Heather DeBaillie, vice president of operations and marketing for Iowa 80. “We take environmental safety and compliance very seriously. This is where we live. Of course, we’re going to take it seriously. We’ve always tried to follow the rules.”

DeBaillie said Iowa 80 hired a local engineering firm to file the necessary reports. However, she said that EPA found that the report was missing information and left unsigned.

Since then, DeBaillie said Iowa 80 hired a new firm to file the report and that it has been approved by the EPA.

Under the agreement submitted on Nov. 18, 2024, the company will pay a fine of $186,642 for the alleged violations at the Joplin 44 truck stop and $204,142 for the alleged violations at Iowa 80.

“This settlement represents the federal government’s commitment to protecting our nation’s waterways and creating a level playing field for businesses who are complying with the law,” EPA Region 7 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Director David Cozad said in a statement.

In addition to the fines, the company was required to revise its Spill, Prevention, Control and Countermeasure plans, which outline “proper containment to control petroleum releases, inspections of tanks and piping, and integrity testing of petroleum storage equipment.”

The company also conducted internal and external tank inspections at both truck stops and completed any necessary repairs.

Facilities that store 1,320 gallons or more of oil products in aboveground tanks are required to comply with the Spill, Prevention, Control and Countermeasure regulations. According to the EPA, the purpose of the regulation is “to prevent oil from reaching navigable waters and adjoining shorelines and to contain discharges of oil.” LL