Settlement with Chevron in oiled bird case
Monterey County reached a settlement with Chevron.
The Monterey County District Attorney Dean D. Flippo announced Friday, January 9, that that the office’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit just made a settlement agreement with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. after the company violated the California Fish and Game Code and Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations with regard to an incident involving non-game migratory birds.
Chevron operates an oil field production facility in southern Montery County in the city of San Ardo.
According to the D.A.’s office, in April of 2014, 37 Vaux’s Swift birds went into a vault on a markedly cold night, presumably to seek warmth. In the vault, these birds were exposed to oily water and consequently 31 of the 37 birds died.
The Vaux Swift bird is classified as a Species of Special Concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and is also on the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act list.
The D.A.’s office reports that Chevron responded to the deaths by screening off the vault so birds would not be able to enter it again. Chevron also trained its staff on vault procedures. Then the facility was reviewed to see if there were additional gaps elsewhere.
Furthermore, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. agreed to a settlement of just over $47,000. According to the D.A.’s office, this settlement amount covers civil penalties and investigative costs. Pacific Wildlife Care, which is a wildlife rehabilitation organization from Morrow Bay that took care of the oil covered birds, will receive a$5,000 portion of the settlement.
The settlement terms also include a permanent injunction requiring Chevron U.S.A. Inc. to adhere to Fish and Wildlife laws pertaining to migratory birds, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
