State Fines Two Refineries Over $2.7M for Dangerous Waste Violations

Two of Washington’s largest refineries are facing more than $2.7 million in penalties for improperly storing dangerous waste, following multiple warnings from the state’s Department of Ecology. HF Sinclair was fined $1,303,000 and Tesoro, operating as the Marathon Anacortes Refinery, received a $1,397,000 penalty for serious violations of dangerous waste laws that regulators say put the environment at risk.

The Department of Ecology issued the fines after nearly a year of back-and-forth with both companies. The violations stem from the handling and storage of hazardous materials in each refinery’s wastewater treatment systems—areas not designed or permitted for long-term storage of dangerous waste.

Dangerous waste is defined by the state as ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic. These materials can pose a serious threat to human health and the environment if not managed correctly.

At the HF Sinclair refinery, the penalty relates to an overflow of oily wastewater that occurred in September 2023. The spill entered a containment area designed for non-hazardous wastewater, not hazardous waste. Untreated sludge—classified as dangerous waste—settled out and remained in the containment zone for 11 months before being removed. When HF Sinclair finally disposed of the sludge, it filled nine 20-yard containers. After the cleanup, inspectors found the liner in the containment area was torn, raising concerns that hazardous material could have leached into the environment during the prolonged delay.

Tesoro’s violation centers on its use of a 150,000-gallon neutralization pond to hold spent sulfuric acid—a corrosive byproduct of its refining process. At times, the pH level of the wastewater in the pond matched that of battery acid, classifying it as dangerous waste. Inspectors first flagged the issue in 2022 and required the company to conduct regular testing, which confirmed persistently hazardous acidity. It took Tesoro nine months to put an alternative management method in place, a delay that significantly increased the risk of damage to the pond’s liner and the possibility of a toxic release. The company is now working with Ecology to remove remaining residue from the pond.

“HF Sinclair and Tesoro are two of the largest industrial facilities in the state, and safely handling millions of gallons of hazardous materials every day is their core business. They have the expertise, the resources, and the responsibility to extend that level of attention to their waste,” said Tom Buroker, director of Ecology’s Northwest Region. “In both instances, the refineries improperly held large amounts of dangerous waste over an extended period of time, which compounded the risk of serious harm to people and the environment.”

Ecology is continuing its investigation into the environmental impacts of both incidents. The agency emphasized that the delayed response by both companies unnecessarily increased the potential for contamination.

Both HF Sinclair and Tesoro have 30 days to either pay the penalties or file an appeal with the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board.