Settlement reached for asbestos removal at former refinery site

by Cindy Glasson

A settlement has finally been made between Sinclair Refining and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in regards to the removal of asbestos at the former Empire Oil Refinery site.

In 1974, the refinery was razed and much of the equipment sold to various other oil refining entities, including Little America, Sinclair’s predecessor.

An assessment of the property by the EPA in 2011 identified a significant amount of asbestos at the site, contaminating the ground surface. The EPA determined it was caused from the large amount of asbestos-contaminated pipe insulation that was removed from the area during demolition.

In 2013, the EPA removed 4,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the site and replaced it with clean, native soil from a property near the site and re-seeded the area with natural grasses.

Sinclair has agreed to pay the EPA $655,000 to pay the response costs incurred.

The fine will be placed in a fund created by the Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Recovery Act, a Superfund, to address cleanup needs at contaminated sites across the country.

Empire Oil began in Thermopolis in 1920 and was in production until 1969. The refinery and encompassing land was purchased by Husky Oil in 1971 before changing hands again to Ashland Oil in 1972, then Little America and finally Sinclair’s Casper Refinery.

For those unfamiliar with the area, the Risen Son Church and Christian School are housed in the former Empire Oil office buildings. The brick structure directly across the street from the church is where the refinery’s laboratories were, with the refinery itself on the property behind the lab.