8/9/2019 Con Edison Pays Penalty, Agrees to changes in Wake of Fire and Explosion at Yonkers Substation

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For Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Wendy RosenbachTuesday, July 27, 2010 (845) 256-3018

CON EDISON PAYS PENALTY, AGREES TO CHANGES IN WAKE OF FIRE AND

EXPLOSION AT YONKERS SUBSTATION

November 2009 Incident Impacted 6-Mile Stretch of Bronx River

Con Edison has agreed to fund a $700,000 settlement package and to make importantoperational changes in the wake of a fire and explosion at one of its substations in Yonkers lastfall, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannisannounced today.

The fire and explosion occurred on Nov. 4, 2009, at Con Edisons Dunwoodie substation,

releasing about 15,000 gallons of a type of oil called dielectric fluid. Some of that oil was burnedin the fire, some was contained and collected on site, and some of the oil impacted a six-milestretch of the Bronx River. A DEC investigation linked the accident to the failure of an oil-waterseparator system which had been flagged as problematic by a Con Edison consultant fourmonths before the incident.

Under DEC supervision, Con Edison immediately responded to, took responsibility forand cleaned up oil-contaminated debris from the Bronx River in the three weeks following theNovember spill.

Under this settlement, Con Edison acknowledged not repairing the oil-water separatorsystem until after the fire and explosion, agreed to make changes to prevent future malfunctionsand consented to a comprehensive review/audit of its similar facilities in the Hudson Valley.

Con Edison also agreed to: Pay $409,000 penalty. Pay a $91,000 in natural resource damages, based on impacts to aquatic life and riparian

vegetation in the Bronx River. Fund $200,000 worth of environmental benefits projects in the local community.

Further, the settlement calls for $185,000 in penalties that can be collected if thecompany fails to meet a compliance schedule for making operational changes.

Our investigation found that Con Edison failed to properly operate and maintain itsfacility, including failing to correct a known problem which resulted in a preventable spill of oiland a negative impact to public health and the environment, DEC Regional Director WillieJaneway said.

(MORE)

8/9/2019 Con Edison Pays Penalty, Agrees to changes in Wake of Fire and Explosion at Yonkers Substation

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The good news is the company has worked cooperatively to clean up the spill, pay an

appropriate penalty, fund environmental restoration of the Bronx River and create a solution thatwill hopefully prevent a repeat occurrence. The outcome of this case is the result of thecollaborative work of numerous DEC personnel, including Region 3, the spills response team,law-enforcement investigators and staff from legal and water divisions and the natural resourcedamages unit.

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