Oil Firms Sued Over Alleged Leaks
An environmental group filed a lawsuit Tuesday against more than a dozen major oil companies, accusing them of allowing dangerous chemicals to contaminate the state’s water supply.
Communities for a Better Environment alleges in the suit that the companies allowed chemicals such as toluene and benzene to enter the water supply from underground storage tanks, refineries and service stations.
The suit claims the companies violated Proposition 65, the safe-drinking-water measure approved by California voters in 1986.
The defendants named in the suit are Chevron Corp., Tosco Corp., Unocal Corp., Texaco Inc., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp., Atlantic Richfield Co., Exxon Corp., Shell Oil Co., World Oil Corp., Mobil Oil Corp., BP America Inc., Thrifty Oil Co., USA Petroleum and Beacon.
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