Settlement reached in lawsuit against Caroline Co. fuel storage facility

CAROLINE CO., Md. – The Maryland Department of the Environment and Attorney General’s Office have announced the settlement of a lawsuit against a Caroline County fuel storage facility.

The lawsuit was brought against Tri-Gas & Oil Co., Inc., last year by the Attorney General’s Office on behalf of the Maryland Department of the Environment. The facility reportedly observed an oil stain next to a storage tank in July 2019, and its contractors removed the oil from the tank in the following months. The company did not realize that the stain was associated with a larger release until March 2020 following a report of an oily sheen moving through the Faulkner Branch, originating from the facility. The company discontinued its use of the property for fuel storage a few months later.

A subsequent investigation found oil in the subsurface between the facility’s storage tanks and the nearby stream. In July 2021, the company and its environmental consultant discovered evidence of previously unknown oil contamination. Tri-Gas & Oil is estimated that it lost approximately 26,000 gallons of fuel. The fuel leak happened in a community that is overburdened and underserved according to the department’s environmental justice screening tool.

The settlement includes a $600,000 penalty for pollution to groundwater and a nearby creek. The company will also be required to continue to comply with the provisions of an interim cleanup plan from 2022 to return groundwater at the site to acceptable conditions.