Federal and state regulators have filed a lawsuit against Smitty’s Supply Inc., the oil and lubricant manufacturer based in Tangipahoa Parish, over an Aug. 22 explosion that sent a column of black smoke across Roseland and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate.
The company could face civil penalties in the millions of dollars under federal and state environmental statutes in a suit filed Wednesday in federal court in New Orleans by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. It alleges that Smitty’s “repeatedly failed” to comply with pollution laws and maintained “insufficient” spill-prevention plans prior to the blast. Cleanup operations are still underway, and the site continues to pose a pollution risk, according to the complaint.
Smitty’s Supply has faced prior regulatory and legal scrutiny over compliance and product issues. In 2018, Smitty’s was sued in a class action alleging its “303” tractor hydraulic fluid failed to meet equipment-manufacturer specifications, highlighting persistent challenges for lubricant suppliers in maintaining quality and regulatory standards.
The complaint states that oil and other pollutants flowed from the facility into nearby waterways and traveled about 47 miles downstream through the Tangipahoa River. The EPA reported that cleanup crews deployed vacuum trucks and skimmers to recover roughly 11 million gallons of contaminated water and oil.
Regulators allege the company committed multiple violations before the explosion, including permit breaches, failure to perform required daily inspections, and the absence of a compliant “facility response plan” required under federal law.
The agency has spent about U.S. $62 million on the cleanup and expects total costs to reach around $79 million, while Smitty’s has not contributed due to “financial solvency issues.”
“Smitty’s remains committed to following all applicable laws and regulations,” said company attorney David Sherman. He described the Aug. 22 event as “the result of an unforeseen industrial fire” and said the company continues to coordinate with the EPA and LDEQ on remediation efforts, site cleanup, and preventive measures designed to protect waterways and nearby residents.
The company is facing other litigation from a private firefighting contractor seeking more than $6 million in unpaid bills.
According to Brushwood Media Network, Smitty’s has also filed suit against companies that manufactured and installed a boiler that caught fire at the plant, claiming the equipment was defective.