Joliet 11-7-12

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INSIDE

SPORTS JCA rolls over Tinley Park to stay alive Page 11

NEWS County offers cash to catch heroin dealers Page 3

Our Village, Our News

www.jolietbugle.com

NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Status Check Sides close to agreed order in investigation, cleanup of Oct. 19 Exxon oil release. By Jonathan Samples Staff Reporter

A second status hearing has been set for Nov. 9 in a joint lawsuit against ExxonMobil for an Oct. 19 environmental incident at the oil company’s Channahon refinery. The activation of a safety release system caused a release of oil mist in the area surrounding the refinery, including the roads near the intersection of Arsenal Road and Interstate 55, Jackson Creek, homes, farms and along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Officials from the Will County Emergency Management Agency and ExxonMobil’s Public Affairs office said the safety release system is designed to activate when an operational upset causes unit pressure to build

and to prevent a more serious incident. Will County EMA and the Highway Department closed Arsenal Road following the incident because the substance was causing slippery conditions. Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow on Oct. 31 filed the suit, which also includes a preliminary injunction seeking an investigation into the incident. The suit went in front of a judge Nov. 2, where it was determined to give both sides additional time to try and reach an agreed-upon order. “The attorneys are working toward an agreed order that will be acceptable to the court,” said Scott Mulford, spokesman for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. “Both sides have been and continue to be in

communication.” If an agreement has not been reached by the Nov. 9 hearing, another hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 13 in Courtroom 236 at the Courthouse Annex, 57 N. Ottawa St., Joliet. During the Nov. 2 status hearing, both sides appeared close to agreement, which would likely include many of the requirements in the preliminary injunction. The injunction seeks to require a complete investigation into the causes of the release, a report of their findings to be filed with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, submitting a detailed schedule for necessary improvements, reporting the quantities of all pollutants released in the incident, collecting water samples from nearby Jackson Creek and soil samples along Arsenal Road, providing equipment maintenance and inspection reports for the pressure safety valves involved in the release, and providing a detailed explanation of the procedures to restart the unit involved in the incident.

“ExxonMobil fully concurs with the requirements in the Attorney General’s Agreed Interim Order, most of which were identified and voluntarily initiated in the 12 days since the incident,” said Tricia Simpson, Midwest public and government affairs manager for ExxonMobil’s Joliet Refinery, in a prepared statement.“The incident is under investigation in cooperation with State ad Federal regulators.” The four-count complaint and preliminary injunction were initially filled on Oct. 31 and allege environmental violations occurred after a safety release system at the ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery in Channahon activated, causing a release of hydrocarbon into the air. “The goal here is to take whatever steps are necessary to make certain that, first of all, the damages that were caused are completely cleaned up, that the company is taking steps to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again, and they make sure their maintaining their See EXXONMOBIL, page 2

Vol. 5 No. 10

Provena’s Scoot nets $15,000 for Staehely foundation By Sherri Dauskurdas Staff Reporter

Last month,nearly 500 runners and walkers hit the pavement to stamp out pediatric cancer. Last week, their efforts came to fruition, as $15,000 made its way to a local charity. Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet sponsored the Shorewood Scoot, a yearly run/ race event held at scenic Rock Run Trail. This year, it raised $15,000 for the Mark Staehely Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Ranging in age from 5 to 82, participants took to the trail to honor the memory of friends, loved ones, and Shorewood’s own Mark Staehely. A true hometown hero, Mark Staehely was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer when he was 12 years old. He dedicated his See SCOOT, page 2


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