Fuel spilled from overturned tanker in Madison County prompts lawsuit by Illinois
The state of Illinois is suing Fuel South Express LLC in connection with the release of 8,000 gallons of fuel that leaked from an overturned truck in Madison County earlier this month.
Fuel South Express LLC is a Georgia company with principal offices in San Antonio, Texas, according to the lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in Madison County Court on Monday.
A representative from Fuel South Express could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
The tanker marked with a Circle K logo overturned on April 6 at about 12:45 a.m. near the intersection of Illinois 3 and St. Thomas Road near Granite City, the suit states.
The truck was carrying 6,400 gallons of reformulated gasoline and 2,600 gallons of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel for a total of 9,000 gallons. The suit states 8,000 gallons of fuel leaked during a rainstorm and crews were able to vacuum 1,000 gallons of fuel from the tanker.
No injuries were reported.
“If not immediately remediated, spilled fuel can cause significant damage to the environment as well as present dangers to human health,” Raoul said in a news release on Tuesday. “Our complaint seeks to require Fuel South Express to take action to address this spill and ensure that any lingering environmental threats posed to the area are permanently abated.”
Cleanup of the site has been ongoing, according to the seven-count lawsuit.
Officials do not know how much fuel remains in the soil, groundwater and surface waters at the site.
“The complaint seeks to require Fuel South Express to take immediate action to address any impact the release has had on the roads, medians, farmland and groundwater, as well as any other potential impacts to the environment,” according to the state’s news release.
“The filing also seeks to prevent conditions at the site from worsening and to require that Fuel South Express enter the state’s Site Remediation Program to ensure oversight of the cleanup.”
Raoul filed the lawsuit after receiving a referral from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
“This was a serious situation, made worse by difficult weather conditions, which led to spilled fuel going beyond the roadway and causing significant impacts in adjacent medians and farmland,” Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim said in the state’s news release.
Lawsuit is asking for a civil penalty of up to $50,000 for each violation of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and up to $10,000 for each day of a violation.
