Sunoco will pay the government about $3.6 million to settle a lawsuit over a massive oil spill that fouled plants and animals at a wildlife refuge, officials announced Wednesday.
PHILADELPHIA — Sunoco will pay the government about $3.6 million to settle a lawsuit over a massive oil spill that fouled plants and animals at a wildlife refuge, officials announced Wednesday.
The spill, caused by a crack in a pipeline, leaked 192,000 gallons of crude oil into a pond and surrounding wetlands in February 2000 at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.
The 1,000-acre refuge straddles Philadelphia and Delaware County and is home to numerous wildlife species, including the threatened red-bellied turtle and southern leopard frog.
"Sunoco worked closely with the government to reach a fair and equitable settlement," company spokesman Gerald Davis said.
Sunoco agreed to a penalty of more than $2.7 million for violating the Clean Water Act and $865,000 for damaging natural resources, according to a consent decree filed in federal district court.
!ADVERTISEMENT!
Source: Associated Press
