FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: JIM SWEENEY, DOJ MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1995 (202)514-2008 TDD: (202)514-1888 GWEN BROWN, EPA (202)260-1384 KOCH INDUSTRIES AND AFFILIATES CHARGED FOR HUNDREDS OF OIL SPILLS IN SIX STATES WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In one of the largest Clean Water cases ever brought, the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Coast Guard today announced the filing of a civil suit against Kansas-based Koch Industries and several of its subdivisions for unlawfully discharging millions of gallons of oil into the waters of six states. One of the largest and most environmentally harmful spills occurred in the Corpus Christi Bay along Texas' eastern coast, an area increasingly popular with college students on spring break. Other spills polluted waters, including wetlands, across the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri and Alabama. The action, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, charges that, since 1990, Koch and its subsidiaries were responsible for more than 300 separate oil spills. The suit is being brought under the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The complaint seeks penalties and a court order to require Koch to take such actions as are necessary to protect U.S. waters and to eliminate future spills. Koch Industries, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, operates pipelines that transport crude oil and related products from oil fields to refineries and tank farms. The spills occurred primarily as a result of breaks in gathering lines caused by corrosion. "Companies must take steps in advance, to prevent, detect, and mitigate such environmentally damaging spills," said Lois Schiffer, the Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "Our filing sends that message, loud and clear." "Today's action is another illustration of the Federal Government's on-going commitment to assure clean water and land for all Americans by taking effective action against commercial polluters who discharge oil and other hazardous substances in the environment," said Steven A. Herman, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. Laboratory studies have extensively documented the adverse effects of even small amounts of oil -- less than 1 part per million -- on a variety of organisms which provide food for fish. In addition, floating oil sheens can asphyxiate fish and animals that live at the bottom of lakes and rivers (benthic fauna), harm waterfowl, and may cause economic loss through the fouling of shorelines and beaches. The spills in this case damaged waters, fish and waterfowl in various bays, lakes, rivers and streams. Gaynell Griffin Jones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, where the case was filed, applauded the filing and said "the U.S. Attorney's Office is dedicated to taking all necessary legal steps to protect our invaluable and irreplacable natural resources. ### 95-213