Press Release  MassDEP Fines RK’s Fuel and Service for Failing to Comply with Consent Order for Fall River Site

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has assessed a $10,000 penalty to RK’s Fuel and Service Station (RK), located on 800 Pleasant Street in Fall River, for failing to comply with a 2021 Administrative Consent Order related to a release of fuel at its site. 

The 2021 order established deadlines – some of which MassDEP subsequently agreed to extend – for conducting required comprehensive cleanup activities, including the submittal of a Phase II Comprehensive Site Assessment Report (Phase II Report). RK failed to provide the required documentation by the extended deadline. In addition to the penalty, RK is now required to submit the Phase II Report by December 2023 and complete all Comprehensive Response Actions at the Site by September 2025. 

“By failing to adhere to the deadlines set by the Waste Site Cleanup regulations, especially when those deadlines were extended by agreement with MassDEP, RK’s Fuel and Service is not giving this important matter the attention it deserves to assess and clean up the site,” said Millie Garcia-Serrano, director of MassDEP’s Southeast Regional Office in Lakeville. “The new deadlines set forth in this settlement constitute reasonable time for RK to complete the required cleanup actions.” 

MassDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and to ensure a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth; to provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives; and to ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

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