COUNTYWIDE : Exxon Is Accused of Pollution Violations
The Orange County district attorney’s office filed suit Tuesday against Exxon Corp., alleging that the oil company has failed to comply with a major pollution law enacted to prevent fuel leaks.
Prosecutors allege in the suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, that Exxon has violated a state law that requires companies to obtain permits and monitor underground fuel tanks for leaks. Eight Exxon stations in Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and Garden Grove are involved, the suit says.
Exxon is the second oil company the district attorney’s office has accused of underground tank violations in a continuing investigation that includes every major oil company in the county.
The civil suit against Exxon, the nation’s largest oil company, alleges that the violations have occurred for more than three years. The suit seeks the maximum fines of $5,000 per tank for each day that the tanks were not in compliance.
Orange County health officials say they repeatedly sought compliance from Exxon before passing the case to the district attorney for prosecution.
Exxon officials were unavailable Tuesday night for comment.
Last month, Unocal paid $903,846 to settle a district attorney’s case involving tanks at 72 stations, which represent half of all its stations in Orange County. It was the largest payment in any environmental case in county history.
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