Adams Applauds Complaint Against Colonial Pipeline
Statement
Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) applauded today's move by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to file a Complaint and Motion for Injunctive Relief in Mecklenburg County Superior Court to force Colonial Pipeline to meet their obligations as the responsible party in the state's largest gasoline spill.
"I applaud Governor Cooper and the Department of Environmental Quality's actions today to hold Colonial Pipeline accountable for their spill in Huntersville, the largest gasoline spill in North Carolina history," said Congresswoman Adams. "Colonial has not provided an estimate of the spill since February, and at that time the estimated volume of the spill was well over 1 million gallons. The people of Huntersville and Mecklenburg County deserve answers, and new measures -- including monthly surface water testing and a new estimate of the volume of the spill -- will help us get those answers."
Per NC DEQ, The complaint seeks a judicial action requiring Colonial Pipeline to take the following actions:
Remove, treat or control any source of petroleum, PFAS or other contaminants that have the potential to contaminate groundwater;
Provide DEQ with a current, revised estimate of the volume of petroleum released;
Submit a comprehensive conceptual site model for both the petroleum release and the PFAS contamination;
Complete site assessment activities, and submit and receive DEQ approval for a corrective action plan and proposed schedule for implementation;
Conduct monthly sampling of nearby surface water for petroleum, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, Volatile Organic Compounds, total lead and PFAS at locations determined by DEQ; and
Provide evaluations of Colonial's leak detection system statewide, provide locations of all pipeline Type-A collar repairs within North Carolina and remove or replace them with approved alternatives if necessary. Colonial has cited corrosion related to a Type-A sleeve repair as the cause of the Huntersville release.
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