Oil Enforcement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To protect Maine’s surface water and ground water resources, Maine law prohibits the unlicensed discharge of oil to land and water and requires oil spills to be cleaned up promptly to the Department’s satisfaction. “Oil” includes but is not limited to gasoline, diesel, heating oils, hydraulic oils and lubricating oils.

To encourage the prompt reporting and clean up of oil spills, Maine law (38 M.R.S.A. § 550) provides a “safe harbor”; a person who causes an oil spill is not subject to any fines or civil penalties if they:

(a) report the oil spill to the Department within two (2) hours;

(b) promptly and properly remove the spill to the Department’s satisfaction; and

(c) reimburse the Department for its clean up costs (if any) within 30 days of billing.

To report an oil spill from within Maine, please call (24 hours) 1-800-482-0777.

Other Spill Reporting Numbers

For questions about regulations and enforcement cases concerning oil spills and oil spill clean-ups, please email Andrew Flint or call (207) 287-7850 or 287-2651.

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