New Orleans, LA – Offshore oil and gas operator W&T Offshore, Inc. has been sentenced to a $1 million penalty following a guilty plea to federal charges stemming from deliberate tampering with water sample testing and a negligent oil discharge in the Gulf of Mexico. The case, brought by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and investigated by multiple federal agencies, highlights a pattern of deceptive practices designed to avoid regulatory scrutiny and reduce costs.
According to court documents, between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, employees of a contractor working on W&T Offshore’s EW 910 Platform routinely filtered produced water samples through common coffee filters *before* submitting them for laboratory analysis. This manipulation was intended to falsely lower reported levels of oil and grease, ensuring compliance with the company’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The permit, mandated by the Clean Water Act, sets strict limits on the amount of pollutants W&T Offshore could legally discharge into the Gulf.
The scheme was uncovered following a separate incident on November 22, 2009, where a process upset on the EW 910 Platform led to an oil release coating sections of the platform. Despite visible oil staining remaining after a three-day cleaning effort, and a subsequent sheen observed on the water surrounding the platform by Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspectors, W&T Offshore failed to report the incident to the Coast Guard National Response Center. This failure to report a spill compounded the company’s violations.
Legal Ramifications & Penalties
W&T Offshore pled guilty to one felony count of violating 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(4), pertaining to the tampering, falsification, or rendering inaccurate of monitoring methods required under the Clean Water Act. They also pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of violating 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(1)(A), for the negligent discharge of oil into U.S. waters. The company was sentenced to 36 months of probation, ordered to pay $700,000 in federal fines, and $300,000 in community service, totaling a $1 million monetary penalty.
As part of the sentencing, W&T Offshore is required to undergo comprehensive safety and environmental audits of the majority of its 107 offshore facilities over the three-year probation period. The audits will be conducted according to the Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) standards outlined in Title 30, C.F.R. Part 250, with 75% of Gulf of Mexico facilities audited by the end of the probationary period.
Investigation & Official Statements
The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Officials emphasized the importance of holding companies accountable for environmental violations. “One of EPA’s primary missions is to ensure that federal laws protecting human health and the environment are enforced fairly and effectively,” stated Ivan Vikin, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Louisiana. “Violators who submit false information and illegally discharge pollutants undermine our efforts to protect the public and the environment.”
Key Facts
- Defendant: W&T Offshore, Inc.
- Location: EW 910 Platform, Gulf of Mexico
- Years of Violation: 2009
- Laws Violated: 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(4) & 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(1)(A) – Clean Water Act
- Penalty: $1 Million ( $700,000 fines, $300,000 community service)
- Probation: 36 months, including facility audits
- Method of Deception: Filtering water samples through coffee filters to mask pollution levels.
Source: EPA ECHO Enforcement Case Database
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