The owner of a barge, the ‘Davy Crockett’, was sentenced to prison for his role in a massive oil spill on the Columbia River in Washington state.
Bret A. Simpson, 53, of Ellensburg, Washington, was sentenced to four months in prison, eight months of home detention, 100 hours of community service and three years of supervised release for his Clean Water Act violations.
Simpson pleaded guilty in July 2012 to two criminal violations of the Clean Water Act: failing to report a discharge of oil and unlawfully discharging oil into the Columbia River near Camas, Washington.
The oil spill occurred in December 2010, when Simpson’s company, Principle Metals, was dismantling the barge. Simpson failed to remove the oil from the barge before starting the salvage operation, and when the first oil spill occurred, he failed to notify authorities.
The spill was eventually cleaned up by the U.S. Coast Guard and state authorities, who spent eight months and approximately $22 million to clean up the spill and remove the derelict barge from the river.
‘This defendant’s singular focus on maximizing his profits, at the expense of even minimal environmental safeguards, cost taxpayers millions of dollars,’ said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.
‘Mr. Simpson exhibited no regard for the likelihood that his misguided salvage efforts could, and in fact did, lead to an environmental emergency that was only partially averted by a massive federal and state response.’
Bret Simpson’s sentencing serves as a reminder that environmental crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Environmental Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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