Compliance
The tourism industry is regulated by the same state and federal environmental laws that govern all companies, but as a park concessioner, Xanterra also complies with National Park Service and Department of the Interior policies. For Xanterra, environmental regulatory compliance is fundamental to all of our operations. Internally, we set rigorous regulatory procedures and standards to help each employee meet environmental regulations pertinent to a particular area of work.
To date, Xanterra has not received any environmental compliance penalties. However, in 2006, even though Xanterra was in compliance with major state and federal environmental laws, the company did receive one notice of violation from the Florida Department of Health for minor violations of the UST rule at the Everglades National Park marina. These findings revolved around a malfunctioning automatic tank gauging system and improper storage of leak detection records. Xanterra promptly corrected these violations.
At Yellowstone, a tank leaked several hundred gallons of fuel oil onto soil during a fuel transfer. This leak was caused by a faulty valve, coupled with human error. A new in-situ remediation technology—ozone injection—has been installed and will be completed in less than one year. There was no damage to local water or ecosystem resources. New procedures governing fuel transfer now prevent this type of spill from recurring.
At Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley, a defective sump and line detection system on an above ground tank resulted in several gallons of gasoline leaking onto soil. This site is currently being characterized and will be remediated to the extent necessary.
Xanterra is still working with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) on a remediation plan for contamination caused by leaking USTs located at the Petrified Forest service station. The tanks that leaked were removed and replaced many years ago. In June 2005, ADEQ determined that the full extent and degree of the contamination had been adequately characterized by Xanterra. However, soil and groundwater hydrocarbon contaminants still exceed allowable levels. While ADEQ requires continued monitoring of the site, Xanterra plans to develop a remediation plan. Drinking water sources are not threatened by the contamination, which is static and stabilized in scope.
This report does not address federal or state OSHA safety compliance.
| Compliance 2000-2007 |
Number of Penalties
|
| Clean Air Act |
0
|
| Clean Water Act |
0
|
| Resource Conservation and Recovery Act |
0
|
| CERCLA (Superfund) |
0
|
| Toxic Substances Control Act |
0
|
| Safe Drinking Water Act |
0
|
| Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA Title III |
0
|
| Department of Transportation |
0
|
| State Water/UST Regulations |
0
|
| State Air Regulations |
0
|
| State Hazardous/Solid Waste Regulations |
0
|
| Wastewater Exceedances |
0
|
National Park Service Concessions Environmental Audit Program
In 2000, the National Park Service launched its Concessions Environmental Audit Program. The purpose of this program is to conduct environmental compliance audits at all national park concession operations every few years. Since 2001, all 11 of Xanterra’s national park operations have been audited under this program. To date, the company has had no Priority 1 compliance violations and only a handful of minor Priority 2 findings per operation on average. These audits have proven extremely valuable to Xanterra in assisting the company to embrace a high environmental standard.
