FEDERALSBURG, MD - The Maryland Department of the Environment (DOE) and the Maryland Attorney General’s Office have announced the settlement of a lawsuit against Tri-Gas & Oil Co., Inc for an oil leak in Federalsburg.
According to the DOE, the lawsuit was brought against Tri-Gas & Oil Co. last year after the facility found an oil stain in 2019 near a removed tank that was found to be a larger leak into a nearby stream of the Marshyhope River. The DOE says the company did not realize the extent of the contamination until March of 2020, when an oily sheen was seen moving through the Faulkner Branch originating from the fuel facility.
Further investigation reportedly found oil between the facility’s storage tanks and the nearby stream, the DOE says, and more contamination was discovered by the company and its environmental consultant in 2021. An estimated 26,000 gallons of fuel was lost according to the Department.
As part of the settlement, the company has agreed to a $600,000 penalty and will be required to continue compliance with a cleanup plan originally established in 2022 to return the area’s contaminated groundwater to acceptable conditions.
“The significant financial penalty and the required cleanup actions contained in this settlement reflect how serious it is to ignore environmental regulations and pollute our waterways,” said Maryland Secretary of the Environment Serena McIlwain. “Overburdened and underserved communities disproportionately bear the burden of environmental hazards. We will hold those entities accountable who are found to be non-compliant with the applicable environmental laws and regulations.”
Full details of the settlement can be found in a consent decree approved by the Caroline County Circuit Court.