Diesel spill in Eastern Oregon prompts $65K DEQ fine
Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, October 14, 2026
By Annie Bostwick/EastOregonian.com
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued penalties in August 2026 for environmental violations, including for a diesel spill in Eastern Oregon.
SALEM — A semitruck that crashed and spilled diesel fuel in April 2023 near Ukiah promoted a $64,771 fine from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality more than three years after the spill.
The fine against D&M Import Service Inc., of San Diego, along with a $5,400 fine against a True Organic Products LLC plant in Boardman, were among the six penalties DEQ announced at the end of September.
The semi crashed on April 23, 2023, on Highway 395B near Ukiah, spilling 50 gallons of diesel fuel, according to the DEQ, and the fuel collected close to a tributary of the Umatilla River, posing a water contamination risk.
DEQ issued the fine because D&M Import Service failed to immediately clean up the spill and failed to report the spill through the Oregon Emergency Response System.
The Oregon Department of Transportation reported the spill instead, according to the DEQ. As of Monday, Oct. 13, D&M Import Service has not paid the penalty, according to the DEQ.
True Organic Products LLC has a facility in Boardman that produces liquid phosphorus and nitrogen based fertilizer. DEQ reported it issued an enforcement action letter to True Organic Products for storing nitrogen rich manure without an impervious liner to prevent it from seeping into groundwater.
DEQ conducted an inspection of the company’s facility in Boardman after receiving a complaint for strong odors in the area. The inspection found the facility stored a large volume of chicken manure on an unlined surface.
DEQ issued a $5,400 civil penalty as a result of the finding.
The state environmental regulator also outlined corrective measures for True Organic Products, which include payment of the penalty, installation of a liner and a compliance inspection.
