Glasgow And Madigan To ExxonMobil: Pay Up And Figure It Out

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan laid down the law with ExxonMobil Thursday, ordering the oil behemoth to pay up, figure out how it screwed up, and fix whatever damage was down.

The SA and the AG filed an agreed order requiring ExxonMobil Oil to investigate the cause of the burst of oil mist at the company’s refinery in Channahon Township on Oct. 19, and take specific actions to ensure it does not occur again.

According to a statement released by Glasgow's office, the agreed order requires ExxonMobil to:

• Complete an investigation within 14 days to determine the root cause of the release and submit recommendations to Madigan’s and Glasgow’s office for implementing corrective and preventive measures based on the investigation
• Submit a detailed corrective work schedule for necessary improvements
• Report all chemicals and pollutants released during the incident and the quantities of each
• Provide the results of water samples and sediment samples taken from Jackson Creek
• Submit a report on ExxonMobil’s cleanup of off-site properties impacted by the incident
• Identify all residents, landowners and local government agencies it communicated with following the release
• Provide a detailed explanation of the procedures used to re-start the coker unit following the Oct. 19 release

The agreed order also requires ExxonMobil to pay up to $50,000 to Madigan’s office and the Illinois EPA for costs associated with the response and oversight, and another $20,000 to reimburse Will County for its emergency action related to the release.

In a four-count complaint filed Oct. 31, Madigan and Glasgow alleged the oil release occurred as a result of procedural failures at the refinery’s coker unit, sending the oil mixture into the air.

The oil mixture fell onto homes and farms within a four-mile radius of the refinery, which is located at Interstate 55 and Arsenal Road. The incident prompted authorities to shut down Arsenal Road because of the slippery conditions created by the oil mixture settling on the roadway.

Oil residue was also detected in nearby Jackson Creek and along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

The court has set a status hearing for Feb. 19.