COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Contractors and environmental officials are considering cleanup options in this southeast Kansas town a week after 71,400 gallons of crude oil mixed with floodwater.
The oil that spilled from the Coffeyville Resources refinery coated houses and lawns in a slimy, smelly goo. It prompted a class-action lawsuit in federal court against Coffeyville Resources, said Andrew Hutton, a Wichita lawyer involved in the litigation.
He said the flood was predictable and the refinery should have been shut down sooner.
The lawsuit alleges that more than 200 properties “have been destroyed by these uncontrolled waterborne poisons.”
Refinery spokesman Steve Eames declined to discuss the lawsuit.
“We’re really more focused on the efforts to help the community recover and help get the operations going and helping our neighbors,” he said. He said the refinery has brought in contractors who helped clean up massive oil spills during Hurricane Katrina.
