D.A. Sues Firm to Stop Use of Contaminated Oil on Roads

The Ventura County district attorney’s office filed suit Friday in Superior Court to prevent a Texas oil company from oiling roads in the Sespe Wilderness with oil containing hazardous wastes.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Marcia Strickland said the Santa Fe Energy Co. stopped using contaminated oil in 1987 to control dust on the roads through the Sespe and is cooperating with her office to negotiate a settlement of the suit. But she said the suit was filed to ensure that the complaint is recorded before the statute of limitations expires on alleged violations of the California Health and Safety Code by the company.

Company officials could not be reached for comment. John Barg, an attorney representing Santa Fe Energy Co., declined to discuss the case.

Strickland said other oil companies with oil wells in the Sespe had hired Santa Fe to oil their roads since 1984. But instead of using crude oil directly from wells as permitted by the state Department of Environmental Health, the company was using waste oil drained from near-empty tanks and oil processors, which was contaminated with volatile chemicals such as benzene.

District attorney investigators also found chemicals in open sumps, air pollution control devices disconnected from storage tanks and evidence that pressure-release valves were letting hazardous gases escape into the air, according to the suit.

The company immediately stopped spreading the contaminated oil and began cleaning up the sumps and repairing the improper equipment, she said.