Flint Hills settles with EPA over North Pole refinery fire

Refining company Flint Hills Resources agreed to settle a civil penalty for $80,000 for mishandling waste at a petroleum refinery in Alaska, the EPA said.

The Environmental Protection Agency said the company mishandled spent groundwater from its refinery in North Pole, Alaska. The material was disposed of in containers that later self-ignited.

"In this case, two completely avoidable dumpster fires occurred because the facility's hazardous waste was not properly identified and managed," Scott Downey, manager of the EPA's air and hazardous waste unit in Seattle, said in a statement Wednesday.

The EPA in the case alleged Flint Hills failed to manage the material in a way that minimized the possibility of a fire.

No injuries were reported in the case.

Flint Hills spokesman Jeff Cook said this company worked alongside the EPA during the investigation, which it reported to the agency.

"We have fully cooperated with EPA in reviewing the matter and reaching a settlement," he said in response.

The incident was reported June 2013.

Flint Hills said it made the decision to close the refinery because of the high costs of cleanup that resulted from contamination at the North Pole site from its previous owner, Williams Cos. Inc.