| Resident says Flint Hills refinery damaged water |
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adn.com The Associated Press Published: January 31st, 2010 NORTH POLE -- A North Pole man has sued the current and former owners of the Flint Hills oil refinery, saying a chemical from the refinery damaged public water supplies. James West filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Superior Court in Fairbanks against Flint Hills Resources LLC, which has owned the refinery since April 1, 2004, and Williams Alaska Petroleum Inc., which previously owned the plant. The lawsuit contends that sulfolane from the refinery damaged the water supply, posing a risk to health and hurting property values. Flint Hills spokesman Jeff Cook told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that he could not comment on the case because he had not yet seen it. The lawsuit lists West both as an individual plaintiff and as a representative of a class of plaintiffs affected by the contamination. The court has not certified the lawsuit as a class action. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said about 55 private wells in North Pole have tested positive for sulfolane. The chemical is used to refine oil into gasoline and bonds easily with water. ADVERTISEMENT There are no proven studies on the long-term effects of ingesting small amounts of sulfolane. Tests on animals have associated health problems with the chemical but at levels far higher than have been found in North Pole. Flint Hills officials believe a sulfolane spill sometime before 2000 leached into the water table near the refinery. They have offered free testing and contacted residents to provide them with bottled drinking water. Local and state officials have called the testing precautionary and Flint Hills' actions proactive. |
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