An oil company and refining company will have to pay $11.5 million following the settlement of a lawsuit that charged the companies with improper hazardous waste disposal, California Attorney General Kamala Harris said today.
The complaint, filed in Jan. 2013, against oil company ConocoPhillips and its refinery Phillips 66 follows a statewide investigation that revealed the companies endangered nearby water supplies and violated the state’s hazardous materials and hazardous waste laws when they failed to properly store gasoline at over 560 gasoline stations in California.
Harris said the oil and gas companies have threatened nearby water supplies since 2006 and that this settlement holds them accountable for “dangerous negligence and will ensure future compliance with environmental laws.”