CLINTON, Ill. — The state of Illinois has filed a lawsuit against H&M Trucking Co., alleging the company's 4,000-gallon diesel fuel spill caused contamination of soil and waterways near its Clinton, Illinois, trucking terminal.
The lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in DeWitt County Circuit Court, alleges an unreported diesel fuel leak from H&M's terminal, which took place in June, resulted in fuel soaking the into the nearby soil, into a residential pond and a tributary which empties into a creek south of the terminal.
“Instead of immediately reporting the diesel fuel leak and containing the contamination, H&M allowed the fuel to spread, jeopardizing the environment and peoples’ health,” Madigan said. “H&M must clean up contamination of the site while the cause of the leak is investigated.”
Madigan's office also filed a preliminary injunction that requires cleanup of the contaminated areas by H&M. The company has hired an environmental consultant to oversee the emergency cleanup while litigation is ongoing, the Attorney General's Office said.